Missing

Missing by Sue Whiting
Published by Walker Books Australia
Date: 1 March 2018
R.R.P. $17.99

A brilliant book for me is one that keeps me reading from beginning to end without stopping, and Missing is one that wouldn’t let me put it down.  Sue’s book is engrossing, raw and emotional, especially when you think you know how it is going to end and it isn’t how you thought it would be.

The story begins with Mackenzie and her father running away. Well not running away as such, but it feels like it when her dad wakes her to leave quickly to pack her bags and leave in the early hours of the morning; 114 days since her mum being missing.  When she finally gets her dad to share what is happening, he tells her that they are going to Panama to search for her mum themselves.   Their journey begins and takes you on a emotional journey where a young girls courage and strength is inspiring.

I had no preconceived ideas about this book because I picked it up after meeting the lovely Sue and wanted to take a look at what she had published.  It was really nice to go into a book not having read anything about it and just going along for the ride.  I liked that the chapters were short because their length didn’t make me feel like the book was achievable.  Each chapter’s identity is formed through a Then and Now situation which also lists the date and how many days Mackenzie’s mum had been missing; this makes the time line easy to follow.

The ending…what can I say; it certainly wasn’t as I expected but I think as a whole it was satisfying because there was a decisive conclusion.  The dramatic tension towards the end saw the growth of characters and how their experiences changed them and gave them a new identity.

Overall, I highly recommend this teen read for anyone who is a fan of YA fiction.  Sue’s style of writing is easy to read and you won’t want to put this book down once you get started.

You can see what is coming up next for Sue at http://suewhiting.com/