Remember me like this, by Bret Anthony Johnston

Those of us in St. Louis particularly remember when a young Shawn Hornbeck, who disappeared without a trace as a child, was miraculously found in Kirkwood, the victim of a local pizza delivery man.  In many ways, this could be his story, and that of his family.  It is every parent’s worst nightmare.  Justin disappears at 11, leaving his mother Laura, father Eric, and younger brother Griffin devastated.  About half of the novel deals with the strains on the family during his four year absence.  When he is found nearby and returns home, different tensions inevitably arise as both he and each of his family members struggle to walk a careful line between knowing exactly what happened to him and reintegrating him into their lives.  One of the many strengths of the book is that the only real description of what went on during the four years he lived with Dwight Buford is given in a single line of dialog.  It doesn’t dwell on the horror but leaves it to the reader’s imagination.  Well done.  361 pp.