
It is June 1971 and Dominick Pindle, a tenderhearted but aimless Massachusetts teenager, spends his nights driving around with his mother and dragging his wayward father out of bars. Late one evening Dominick's search puts him face-to-face with his father's seductive mistress, Edie Kramer. Instantly in lust, he begins a forbidden relationship with this beautiful, mysterious woman. Before long, though, their erotic entanglement leads to a shocking death, and Dominick discovers that the mother he betrayed had secrets as dark and destructive as his own.Rapt with confusion and guilt as the startling facts about his family begin to emerge, Dominick heads to New York City in search of retribution and the truth about his mother's disquieting past. He soon finds refuge with Jeanny Garvey, a young, soulful idealist who might save him from his dire fate, but not before he makes a desperate choice that endangers everything he holds clear -- and puts both their lives at risk.Charged with the exhilarating narrative pace of a thriller and set during a complicated and explosive era, Boy Still Missing is a stunning debut novel. It renders a deeply affecting portrait of a boy whose passage into adulthood proves as complex and impassioned as the history that unfolds before his eyes.
A teenager’s illicit affair with his father’s mistress triggers a chain of events that exposes long-buried family secrets and forces a desperate flight to New York City. Dominick Pindle navigates the precarious landscape of 1971 Massachusetts, caught between the instability of his alcoholic father and the quiet desperation of his mother. His objective is to reconcile his own burgeoning desires with the crumbling reality of his home life, but he is opposed by the manipulative influence of Edie Kramer and the weight of his mother’s hidden history. The narrative utilizes a linear progression that shifts from the claustrophobic tension of a small town to the chaotic anonymity of the city, framing the protagonist’s transition into adulthood through a lens of moral ambiguity and psychological strain.
Discussion often centers on the author’s ability to balance the gritty realities of a dysfunctional family with the suspense of a thriller. Readers frequently highlight the protagonist’s internal conflict as the primary driver of the narrative, noting that his choices feel grounded in the confusion of his age. Critics often point to the atmospheric depiction of the 1970s as a significant contributor to the book's overall tension. The pacing is generally described as consistent, moving from slow-burn character study to a more urgent, action-oriented conclusion. Many readers appreciate the focus on the psychological consequences of the protagonist's actions rather than relying solely on external plot twists.
Page Count:
292
Publication Date:
2002-03-05
Publisher:
WmMorrowPB
ISBN-10:
006000780X
ISBN-13:
9780060007805
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