First published 2015
Simon Connolly rushes to the school rendezvous point after reports of a shooting. While his wife pursues her law career, Simon has spent years as the primary caregiver for teenagers Jake and Laney. Now he sits in a room with other parents, waiting for news. One by one, families are called to collect their children. The room empties. Simon remains. Jake is missing. As hours pass without word, Simon replays years of memories. He searches for warning signs he might have missed, mistakes that led to this moment. The statistics he once read about school violence now feel personal. His anxiety about raising teenagers has materialized into his worst fear. Simon questions everything he believed about his son. The boy he thought he knew may be a stranger. Or perhaps Simon understands Jake better than anyone realizes. As the truth slowly emerges, Simon must confront what happened in those final moments at school and reckon with the reality of who his son truly is.
Genres: mystery, crime, contemporary, psychological-thriller, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
288 pages · ebook · William Morrow
Content warnings: anxiety