All the Things We Leave Behind - Softcover

Nason, Riel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0864920415 ISBN 13: 9780864920416

Publisher: Goose Lane Editions, 2016

Synopsis

Finalist, New Brunswick Book Award for Fiction

A novel of absence and adolescence by the author of the award-winning The Town That Drowned.

It's 1977. Seventeen-year-old Violet is left behind by her parents to manage their busy roadside antique stand for the summer. Her restless older brother, Bliss, has disappeared, leaving home without warning, and her parents are off searching for clues. Violet is haunted by her brother's absence while trying to cope with her new responsibilities. Between visiting a local hermit, who makes twig furniture for the shop, and finding a way to land the contents of the mysterious Vaughan estate, Violet acts out with her summer boyfriend, Dean, and wonders about the mysterious boneyard. But what really keeps her up at night are thoughts of Bliss's departure and the white deer, which only she has seen.

All the Things We Leave Behind is about remembrance and attachment, about what we collect and what we leave behind. In this highly affecting novel, Nason explores the permeability of memory and the sometimes confusing bonds of human emotion.

About this title

About the Author

Riel Nason is a writer and textile artist. She is the author of three novels (including one for middle-grade readers), a children’s picture book, and two books on quilting. The Town That Drowned was her debut novel. It won the Commonwealth Book Prize for Canada and Europe and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She lives in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.

From the Back Cover

It's 1977. Seventeen-year-old Violet has been left by her parents to manage The Purple Barn, their busy roadside antique store, for the summer. Her restless older brother, Bliss, has disappeared, leaving home without warning, and her parents are off searching for clues. Violet is haunted by her brother's absence while trying to cope with her new responsibilities. Between visiting a local hermit, who makes twig furniture for the shop, and finding a way to land the contents of the legendary Vaughan estate, Violet acts out with her summer boyfriend and wonders about the mysterious boneyard. But what really keeps her up at night are thoughts of Bliss's departure and the white deer, which only she has seen.

All the Things We Leave Behind is a novel about remembrance and attachment, about what we collect and what we cast off. In highly affecting prose, Nason explores the permeability of memory and the sometimes confusing bonds of human emotion.

Reviews

Gr 8 Up—The author opens the work by painting a beautiful picture of a quaint, quiet town in rural New Brunswick, a maritime province in eastern Canada. The year is 1977, and 17-year-old Violet is put in charge of managing her parents' roadside antiques business in their giant purple barn. Violet's parents are off searching for clues that will lead them to her missing older brother, Bliss, though the nosy townsfolk believe that they are on vacation. Ever since Bliss was a child, Violet's family has known him to be moody and depressed. He gave several clues to his sister that he wanted an adventure, but his sudden disappearance has shocked Violet's world to the core. Between dealing with her curmudgeon coworker, Quinn, and hanging out with her boyfriend, Dean, the protagonist doesn't have much time to consider her true feelings surrounding her brother's disappearance. Until, that is, Violet sees a mysterious white buck beckoning her to follow. Is it Speckles, the friendly piebald deer from her past, or is it a ghost of Violet's memory? Fans of historical novels from the recent past will be disappointed in the lack of defining elements of the time period, but teens may connect with the relatable small-town feel of this title. While the isolated moments of magical realism are enticing, the fantastical portrayal of mental illness is unrealistic, especially for readers struggling from its effects. Though engaging at times, the plot lacks structure and feels anticlimactic. VERDICT Not recommended for teen collections.—Marian Mays, Washington Talking Book & Braille Library

Edition details

• Publisher: Goose Lane Editions
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0864920415
• ISBN 13: 9780864920416
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240