Last Seen Leaving
The author combined this novel into a mystery, coming of age story captivating me at time where nothing else mattered except figuring out who was behind January’s disappearance and why Flynn was acting the way he was. Caught up in the mystery of the story, there were times where Flynn’s coming of age element was lost in the enthusiasm and flurry of January’s story. I enjoyed both of their stories but January’s story had more vigor and more drama and therefore stole the stage. Flynn’s story was more emotional and not being an outspoken individual, he took the backstage. It’s unfortunate as I feel both stories should have carried the same amount of weight.
January was Flynn’s girlfriend, was is the word that we need to remember. January is missing and her whereabouts are unknown. Lately, things are home have been difficult for January. Her parents have made her change schools as her mother just recently got remarried (to the state senator) and they moved to a luscious estate. Her mother has changed because of this and their relationship has deteriorated. January has been acting different lately but people have thought it was because of the changes and that given time she would adjust. January has not returned home and is considered missing. Flynn is worried and thoughts rush through his head. Is it suicide? Is she doing this to prove a point to her parents? Was she kidnapped? Or is she mad that Flynn did not accept her advances toward him? Flynn, he’s going through some changes of his own and he’s just figuring out his sexual orientation. He has realized that he is gay, a position he hasn’t told anyone about. January’s parents begin to work on finding their daughter but it looks more like a political situation on one hand and a mother who is falling apart on the other. I enjoyed this confrontation between these adults. I felt the furry of her mother and the righteousness of her stepfather as he tries to be the political statue he portrays to the masses. I wanted to be a fly on the wall as these two went at it, for finally the mother was seeing things for what they were and there was her stepfather playing this tragedy like a strategic game. Flynn takes matters into his own hands and tries to piece together what happened to January while at the same time he is being treated like a suspect. As a suspect, his sexual orientation and the advances that January made on him are brought to the surface and soon it’s a topic that is out of the closet and out in the open. Flynn should get a job as a detective as he does an outstanding job, much better than anyone else working on the case. Lining up the piecing and making them fit, the questions were answered by the time the final pages are read. This was an exciting, fun novel to read.
I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review.
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