The Leaving relates to teenagers, keeping them interested
By Ryan Marchand
“The Leaving” is a book written by Tara Altebrando about hardships and friendship accompanied with a mystery that will put readers in suspense to keep reading. Tara Altebrando has published many books over a course of ten years including “The Leaving” which was her fourth novel she released on May 25, 2016.Tara Altebrando engages her readers by introducing the characters in a way that makes you want to keep reading. She adds into the story about how each character is important to the plot and story of the book while making sure not to spoil anything.
“The Leaving” starts out with Tara introducing each character eleven years after they all went missing unexpectedly. Each one has their own story and memories to tell and their families are shocked to see them again. She really engages the reader by showing each viewpoint of the kids as they return to their normal life. All of the kids want to figure out what happened to them, why they were gone for so long and why none of them can remember any of their memories. The book is a thriller and a mystery that will keep readers engaged and wanting to read more to figure out what happened.
In the book, Tara shares the viewpoints of many different characters and how they each have different opinions about what happened. Avery mentions, “They are all back except for Max. I wonder what happened to him? (Altebrando 19).” She is worried about her brother more than anyone else is, realizing that something must have happened to him that didn’t happen to the other five kids who came back. Tara shares each viewpoint and effectively adds each one to the storyline by sharing how they all play an equal part in the overall story.
“The Leaving” is one of those books that readers will not want to put down once they start to read it. Tara balances the concepts of plot and character development perfectly throughout the book to really keep readers engaged. She also keeps readers hooked with frequent cliffhangers and leaves them thinking about what is going to happen next. Overall, Tara Altebrando is an extraordinary author who can successfully incorporate any type of audience into any of her novels and relate to them as well.