They Never Came Back

Cooney, C. B. (2010). They never came back. New York: Delacorte Press.  ISBN 0385738080

Plot Summary

                       Five years ago, Murielle Lyman’s parents fled the country to escape embezzlement charges.  Their plan to take her with them fell through, stranding her with her aunt, and then ultimately in the foster care system.  Now a teenager living as Cathy Ferris, having reinvented her identity and her life with the kindly foster couple where she was lucky enough to be placed, Cathy grows bold enough to attempt a reconnection with her cousin in her old town of Greenwich.  She enrolls in the same accelerated summer school program that he is in, hoping that, disguised as Cathy Ferris, she can find out something about her family and maybe even her parents.  But her cousin recognizes her immediately despite her objections, setting off an unstoppable chain of events that lead Cathy back to her life as Murielle and the past she has never come to terms with.

Critical Analysis

                        The structure that Cooney chose for this novel is intriguing and effective.  She weaves together the present and the past by alternating chapters between Murielle as a child and Cathy as a teenager, until finally they meet in the middle and the reader is caught up on exactly what has happened.  Moving back and forth between the two is accomplished so well that it is never confusing or jarring, and it is especially effective once it is revealed that Cathy is indeed Murielle.  Once the reader knows this, Murielle’s chapters become even more compelling, as they are an insight into Cathy’s psyche and her motivations.  The prose is unremarkable, nothing fancy.  Largely the effectiveness of this book lies in its internal monologue and dialog as the characters struggle to come to terms with what has happened and what is happening.  Cooney spends most of her time in Murielle/Cathy’s point of view, but moves around to other characters occasionally in order to portray a full understanding of the general reaction to this situation as it unfolds.  Ava, the classmate of Cathy and Cathy’s cousin Tommy who becomes most involved in investigating this mystery, and Julianna, whose mother was imprisoned in place of Murielle’s parents after they fled, are also given a voice periodically during Cathy’s chapters.  Tommy also has a brief period of internal monologue.  The fact that Cooney did not choose to access the point of view of the aunt who lost Murielle into foster care is interesting; it could have added another layer to the plot, to understand what her thoughts were in a more profound way than simply through her dialog.  There is also a very well executed element of contrast here, between the opulence of Murielle’s childhood and her parents’ craven love of money, and her humble life in the foster care system.  Murielle is torn between the life she once knew, the beautiful, elegant parents who gave her everything but were only tangentially connected to her, and the foster parents who love her more completely, as a daughter should be loved.  Her agony of whether to love her parents or hate them, whether to aid in their capture because they were guilty and immoral or to further their continued escape because they are her blood, is undoubtedly the most absorbing problem of this book.  There are no easy answers here, and this is where the appeal of the story lies.

Reader’s Annotation

                              Cathy Ferris is accosted at her summer school program by a boy who is dead certain she is his long lost cousin, which she denies, but he is insistent.  Is Cathy Ferris actually Murielle Lyman, the child whose parents abandoned her in favor of fleeing criminal charges, and if so, what will happen once her identity is revealed?

About the Author

                            Caroline B. Cooney was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she spent much of her childhood reading.  Her interest in writing dates all the way back to elementary school.  She went to several colleges, and continues to take classes, but did not graduate from any institution.  She is married and has three grown children and two grandchildren.  She now lives in South Carolina where she soaks up the sun.

                            Cooney is the celebrated author of more than 75 young adult novels in the genres of mystery, suspense, and romance.  Her most well-known novel, The Face on the Milk Carton, was made into a movie for television.  She has won many awards, including the Christopher Award and the  Church and Synagogue Library Association Award, and has been on many book lists, like the New York Public Library's Annual Teen Picks.  She continues to write and maintain a successful career.

Genre

        Mystery/Suspense - contemporary

Challenge Issues

                          There do not seem to be any obvious challenge issues in this book.  However, in the event of a challenge, I would create a challenge defense file.  The challenge defense file would include: positive reviews from credible sources for the purpose of proving merit to the challenger; negative reviews in order to inform me on what might be challenged; a written explanation of my own rationale for including the book in the collection as well as a summary of the plot; the American Library Association Bill of Rights; a review of my branch’s selection policy; and, as a last resort, an explanation of the reconsideration policy for my library and an official reconsideration form.

Curriculum Ties

                       English and Writing: voice, point of view, and story arc.

Booktalk

             One of the worst fears of childhood is abandonment – getting lost, getting left behind.  That is exactly what happens to Murielle when her parents flee the country and their plans to bring her along fall through.  Murielle has to completely let to go of her old life and adjust to a strange new one without her parents, without anyone or anything familiar.

Reading Level and Interest Age

                                              Grades 7-11.

                                                   

Why I Included This Book

                                          Caroline Cooney is a master of the mystery genre, and I’ve read many of her books.  I felt this one stood out because the mystery is unraveling within the character herself.  In a sense, she controls all of the elements of the mystery, and the outcome will be whatever she wants it to be. So the reader is in on what is happening through the character’s internal monologue, but does not know what the character will decide to do because she herself does not know.  It is an intriguing premise.  This is a fast, satisfying read that will keep teens interested.    

References
Cooney, C. (2009). Caroline Cooney, author. Retrieved from http://www.carolinebcooneybooks.com/author.html