Boy Still Missing (35 page)

Authors: John Searles

BOOK: Boy Still Missing

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About the Author

J
OHN
S
EARLES
is the deputy editor of
Cosmopolitan
, where he oversees all book coverage for the magazine. His essays, articles, and reviews have appeared in the
New York Times
, the
Washington Post
, and other national newspapers and magazines. He lives in New York City.

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PRAISE
FOR
Boy Still Missing

“I meant to get so much done on the day I picked up John Searles’s
Boy Still Missing
. Instead, my ‘things to do’ list blew away, the clock face blurred, and I read—hungrily, compulsively, worried sick for a troubled young character about whom I cared deeply.”

—Wally Lamb, author of
I Know This Much Is True
and
She’s Come Undone

“A lively thriller with a big heart.”

—
Esquire

“Captivating…. A vivid blue-collar coming-of-age story…. Like Russell Banks, Searles combines a rapid and intricate plot with major social concerns.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“A taut, well-nuanced portrait of a troubled kid caught in a whirlwind of circumstance…. Searles builds suspense and excitement with surprising turns of plot.”

—
Booklist

“An involving, sometimes haunting, and completely satisfying novel.”

—
Baltimore Sun

“
Boy Still Missing
is a moving, intelligent, and gripping debut. I cared profoundly about John Searles’s characters, despite their very human mistakes, and began to miss them soon after I had reached the final page of this fine book.”

—Chris Bohjalian, author of
Midwives
and
Trans-sister Radio

“
Boy Still Missing
takes us to a small, hardscrabble town like the one where Searles grew up, and by bringing to life the primal emotions of a character shattered by a needless death, it conveys a message of hope: People can find peace by standing up for what they deeply believe in.”

—
New York Daily News

“The dust jacket says thriller, and, certainly, there are parts that make the heart beat faster. But what thriller is so tender and bittersweet as to prompt tears as well? Searles writes even more beautifully than he plots…. Save [
Boy Still Missing
] for a cloudy or a rainy day when you can curl up alone to laugh and cry in your favorite chair. The payoff is worth it.”

—
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“
Boy Still Missing
is a powerful and poignant tale of adolescent angst that places Searles alongside Ethan Canin and Michael Chabon among the top young novelists of our time.”

—
Providence Journal

“Compulsively readable…. Searles renders the characters and the rural New England setting with accuracy and affection. These are clearly people and places he knows well. His ability to make their plights and their choices both believable and heartbreaking is a testament to this first-time author’s extraordinary skills…. An unqualified success. The reader will leave
Boy Still Missing
disturbed by, and thoughtful about, the turbulent times in Dominick Pindle’s life and in the life of our nation.”

—
BookPage

“Totally gripping.”

—
Jane

“A sensual debut novel…. Builds up roller-coaster speed, careening to a dramatic, poignant finale.”

—
Glamour

“Hypnotic.”

—
Entertainment Weekly

“A gritty, sometimes heartbreaking coming-of-age novel…. Proof that a child of tragic parents can indeed break the cycle of misfortune.”

—
Redbook

“
Boy Still Missing
is a compulsively readable novel that slyly opens the door on the consequences of poor judgment. Combining pathos, tragedy, and love, Searles suggests that fate can indeed herald peace of mind, despite our persistent efforts to find it on our own.
Boy Still Missing
announces the arrival of a major new voice on the stage of American literature and introduces an unforgettable new hero in Dominick, the troubled teen who may just be destined to stand alongside such legendary forebearers as Holden Caulfield and Huckleberry Finn.”

—Barnes&Noble.com

“[A] vivid first novel…. You’ll root for Dominick as he weathers tough times and finds solace in love.”

—
Seventeen

“This is a wonderful debut. The voice is fresh and honest, the mix of tragedy and hope a bit reminiscent of John Irving’s
The World According to Garp
…. Dominick Pindle is a believable, complex, and sympathetic character, and
Boy Still Missing
is a coming-of-age story that cannot miss at touching the reader deeply.”

—
Deadly Pleasures
magazine

“Totally captivating.”

—
YM

“Engrossing and deeply felt…. [The novel] has the heart of an insider finding his way in, for Searles is coming in to the world as surely as his hero Dominick.”

—
Seattle Weekly

“Written with the bristling energy of a detective thriller and the poetic insight of a memoir.”

—
Norwich Bulletin

“A stunning debut novel…. Beautifully written,
Boy Still Missing
is replete with striking descriptions, analogies, and metaphors. The dialogue is superb. The best news is that
Boy Still Missing
is a page-turning, captivating story.”

—
The Tennessean

“
Boy Still Missing
manages the mean feat of combining the page-turning pull of a thriller with the beautifully drawn characters and situations one expects from a more literary work.”

—
Connecticut Post

“John Searles’s debut novel will keep readers riveted as it masterfully tells the story of Dominick Pindle’s unusual coming-of-age…. Searles does a fine job of depicting the consequences of human frailty, as well as the unpredictable strength of the human heart.”

—
Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“To say
Boy Still Missing
is a good book doesn’t do it justice. The story is fascinating, riveting, and full of twists and turns. This is a full-speed page-turner.”

—
Massachusetts Daily News

“Before you start reading John Searles’s
Boy Still Missing
, bid your family and friends au revoir. John Searles is such a masterful storyteller and his hero Dominick is so cocky and so tender there will be inevitable comparisons to J. D. Salinger.
Boy Still Missing
is essentially a small-town saga but with big American themes all pouring from the author’s great compassionate heart.”

—Frank McCourt, author of
Angela’s Ashes
and
’Tis

Also by J
OHN
S
EARLES

Strange but True

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

BOY STILL MISSING
. Copyright © 2001 by John Searles. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Mobipocket Reader January 2008 ISBN 978-0-06-162719-4

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