MILD SPOILERS AHEAD!!
What is it about
A father goes missing and suspicion lies on his 14 years old nonverbal son, Eugene, who was with him at the time of disappearance.
Even though Eugene is unable to talk about what happened, the police suspect he has something to do with the disappearance. Eugene’s family set to prove his innocence, and in doing so, discover the father’s work with a therapist in helping Eugene with alternative communication technique. This leads to a breakthrough in understanding what could have happened to the father.
What I liked about it
I was impressed with the way neurodiversity was discussed and treated. Narrated by Eugene’s older sister Mia, we get her thoughts on the subject of neurodiversity. Mia remarks that people treat him as though he does not understand anything, due to the preconceived notion that being nonverbal means slow or unintelligent. In the latter chapters, readers begin to see that Eugene is much capable, cognitively and understands the world around him.
I like how it concluded, with a touch of mystery. It made me think afterward about the Occam’s razor scenario, mentioned in the book a couple of times. I wondered if the family had accepted the most probable explanation in the first place and were protecting their family dynamic; or came to realise it much later. Or, not at all. Or perhaps the probable theory was what the police had eventually settled on. Whichever it was, it left some questions deliciously unanswered.