Everything We Lost

June 5, 2017
Geary follows her well-received debut, 2014’s Crooked River, with a compelling if ambiguous psychological thriller. In December 1999, 16-year-old Nolan Durant disappears near isolated Bishop, Calif. Ten years later, his younger sister, Lucy, returns to Bishop to confront her missing memories of the night he vanished. Flashbacks reveal Nolan growing increasingly volatile, convinced his new girlfriend is an alien and government agents are trailing him. Meanwhile, Lucy, who’s in love with a charismatic, manipulative older boy, participates in a series of cruel pranks that might be exacerbating her brother’s paranoia. Geary excels at describing the toll undiagnosed mental illness takes on Nolan, his family, and fellow members of his UFO group, as well as the ostracism he endures from classmates. She also insightfully probes how his parents and sister live with uncertainty about his fate. The anticlimactic ending, however, may disappoint readers who prefer neat resolution. Agent: Julia Kenny, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency.

July 1, 2017
Geary's first novel, Crooked River (2014), was a finalist for the Ken Kesey Award and an international success. This second effort deals with Star Beings and UFOs. Both books have at their heart a haunting story of profound loss. Lucy Durant struggles with debilitating confusion and sadness over her brother Nolan's mysterious disappearance and is beset by eerie experiences. On the tenth anniversary of the day Nolan vanished, she returns to their hometown, where it happened. The story is told in Lucy's and Nolan's alternating voices, past and present. The author does a masterful job of keeping the narrative balanced as she presents two possible scenarios: Nolan was murdered, or he was abducted by aliens along with his appropriately named girlfriend, Celeste. Either Nolan was a paranoid schizophrenic or he was actually being followed by the Men in Black, the latter rendered plausible by constant manifestations of the Close Encounters kind. The reader should trust no one and question all. Perfect for fans of Joyce Maynard and Jennifer McMahon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)