What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson

I thought that this was a really interesting take on how to tell this kind of story. One thing I found super interesting was the way that this story was told from the alternating perspectives of Sam’s sister, Beth, and the person who last saw him before he disappeared, his friend Josh. We Now Return To Regular Life is definitely a darker contemporary novel with a dash of mystery/suspense. On top of that, we have other characters that are trying to figure out their own problems as they try to discover themselves. The story doesn’t go into too much detail about what happened to Sam while he was gone for 3 years, but what it does mention is hard to think about. We Now Return To Regular Life deals with a lot of heavier topics, the main focus being on Sam’s kidnapping. It’s no secret that my favourite books seem to consist of darker elements and storylines. And Sam can’t continue on until the whole truth of what happened to him is out in the open.

As Beth and Josh struggle with their own issues, their friends and neighbors slowly turn on Sam, until one night when everything explodes. And, even bigger: that he never told the police everything he saw the day Sam disappeared. And as Sam starts to confide in Josh about his past, Josh can’t admit the truths he’s hidden deep within himself: that he’s gay, and developing feelings for Sam. Beth desperately wants to understand what happened to her brother, but her family refuses to talk about it-even though Sam is clearly still affected by the abuse he faced at the hands of his captor. Because Sam has been found, and he’s coming home. They were the last two people to see him alive. His childhood friend Josh thought it was all his fault. His older sister, Beth, thought he was dead. Sam Walsh had been missing for three years. I’m glad I decided to pick this one up as it was right up my alley! We Now Return To Regular Life explores what it’s like for Sam, a kid who was kidnapped three years ago, to return home after being found and having to adjust going back to his normal, regular life from before he disappeared. Contemporary novels with darker and more serious elements are probably my favourite genre to read and this book fell right into that category. I had heard about We Now Return To Regular Life earlier this year and I instantly knew that it would be a book that I would enjoy based on its synopsis alone. Genre/Themes: YA, Fiction, Contemporary, MysteryĪuthor Website | BookDepository | Amazon | Chapters/Indigo

What They Always Tell Us by Martin Wilson