Module 3: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Award Winner – Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley.

1. Whaley, John Corey. Where Things Come Back: a Novel. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2011. Print.

2. Plot Summary – This coming of age tale by John Corey Whaley takes place in a small and seemingly uneventful town in Arkansas. It’s the summer before Cullen Witter’s senior year and he is met with a bizarre chain of events that include the sudden disappearance of his younger brother, finally getting the girl he’s been crushing on, and the death of his cousin due to an overdose.

Meanwhile in another part of the world, a young missionary is consumed with the meaning of life and although he doesn’t know it yet, it will have far-reaching consequences. It may not seem as these two tales will collide, but they will in a way that will make readers look for hints about how they are connected.

3. Critical Analysis – Where Things Come Back has received numerous awards such as, “Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Books,” “William C. Morris YA Debut Award,” and the coveted, “Michael L. Printz Award.” A professional review in Publishers Weekly notes, “In this darkly humorous debut, Whaley weaves two stories into a taut and well-constructed thriller.” Other professional reviews also make note of the two concurrent stories and how well Whaley fused them together.  A reader from Goodreads, Karen, commented that, “This book is a sad and unpredictable gem, but with plenty of moments of humor.” I must agree that the book is at times humorous and one example is, “There are 3,947 people, according to the faded green sign on the side of the road as you drive into town, and most of those people are complete ass-hats who tried and subsequently failed to leave this place behind (p. 10).”

One of the strengths of this title is its dialog. I feel that it accurately depicts what young adults would talk about between friends, whether it be a funny conversation or one that is more serious. The dialog is casual, for the most part, and easy to follow. Readers will not help but feel a connection with all the characters, even Cabot, who is overly obsessed with the meaning of life and his estranged wife, Alma.

Another strength is the way Whaley was able to weave, what seemed like, two completely different stories into one. Once readers are finished being introduced to Cullum, they were whisked away to Africa where Benton Sage is conducting missionary work. We learn about the two settings and learn why Benton Sage is included in the story in the first place.

While Whaley’s ability to weave the two stories is a strength, it can also be seen as a weakness. The story about Benton Sage made me question why it was even in the book and his suicide made me wonder even more. I felt as if she last few chapters where the two stories collided, did not end with a strong note. For example, I have been questioning Gabriel’s whereabouts and if he was even alive, however, it was all explained so quickly that I had to read those last few chapters once more to understand how the pace went from moderately slow to lightening fast. Cabot’s character change is something to note as well. He was a likeable person who trotted around the university as if he owned the place and then converted to a potential murderer blinded by jealousy and rage due to a failing marriage. I understood that Cabot has an obsessive personality (he was obsessed with Benton’s quest), but did not finger him for an unstable, violent person.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, but may not read it again. From the first half of the book, it didn’t seem like a thriller story, yet all of a sudden it was. I felt misled in a way because the book took a hard left turn and there was no going back. I did, however, thoroughly enjoy Cullen’s discussion with Dr. Webb and how he was trying to cope with his missing brother. At one point, Dr. Webb points out to Cullen that, “We don’t have to be anxious about anything. We can just be. We can get up, anticipate that the day will probably have a few good moments and a few bad ones, and then just deal with it. Take it all in and deal as best we can (p. 226).” This became the most impactful scene in the book for me and will refer back to it in the future.