We Now Return to Regular Life
Written by Martin Wilson
Narrated by Will Ropp and Whitney Dykhouse
4.5/5
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Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
The Face on the Milk Carton meets The Impossible Knife of Memory in this ripped-from-the-headlines novel that explores the power of being an ally—and a friend—when a kidnapped boy returns to his hometown.
Sam Walsh had been missing for three years. His older sister, Beth, thought he was dead. His childhood friend Josh thought it was all his fault. They were the last two people to see him alive.
Until now. Because Sam has been found, and he's coming home. 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.
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. And, even bigger: that he never told the police everything he saw the day Sam disappeared.
As Beth and Josh struggle with their own issues, their friends and neighbors slowly turn on Sam, until one night when everything explodes. Beth can't live in silence. Josh can't live with his secrets. And Sam can't continue on until the whole truth of what happened to him is out in the open.
For fans of thought-provoking stories like The Face on the Milk Carton, this is a book about learning to be an ally—even when the community around you doesn't want you to be.
Martin Wilson
Martin Wilson QC was, for many years, in practice at the Bar. He specialised in criminal law, defending and prosecuting in cases of murder, fraud, corruption and other serious crimes, both in England and Hong Kong. He always has enjoyed writing for pleasure but, for the time being at least, prefers to avoid the subject of the Law. He is the author of A Little Book of Anger (Matador)
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Reviews for We Now Return to Regular Life
22 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The story about Sam given in the perspective of Beth and Josh is amazing. We are able to see the attachment Sam has to the people who should have never met. Great read
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Couldn’t put it down. Beautifully written. Wish there was a sequel.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is very good but very frustrating. Through about 3/4ths of the book, you're begging the narrators to just talk to anyone- literally anyone. The character's lives are messy and believable, especially in the last part of the book when the dams break and they start to understand each other. It's an interesting read if you've been into true crime documentaries like I've been. If you're clicking through because of lgbt interest, you should know that although one of the narrators is gay, it's not exactly a big focus of the novel, except in the few chapters it is. Over all, I enjoyed listening to this book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sam Walsh went missing three years ago, presumed kidnapped and gone without a trace. His older sister, Beth, believed he was dead. His best friend, Josh, was wracked with guilt that maybe he could have done something to stop him from being taken. They both worried that they somehow contributed to Sam's disappearance. But when Sam is found alive, their worlds change all over again. While Sam is indeed Sam, his experience and his ordeal have changed him. As Beth and Josh deal with relating to the new Sam, Sam also needs to find a way to adapt to his own new reality. And then there's the age-old question: Do we talk about everything that happened as a means of processing it, or do we keep it all bottled up with the hope that we can just move past it? And the answer may be somewhere in between--a happy medium that is different for all three of them.
Told from the perspectives of Beth and Josh, this is a powerful and poignant story about love, regret, growing up, secrets, trauma, and simply dealing with the realities of life. This is likely to be a challenging read for some, especially considering the truth of what happened to Sam. But the author deals with the subject matter in a real and raw way, while demonstrating a sensitivity to Sam and to the others affected and impacted by the ordeal. There is no quick fix here for anyone. And sometimes we have to open doors when we know we won't like what's on the other side because if we leave the door closed, what's there will simply continue to haunt us. There's a lot for these teenagers to deal with in this story, but there's also a strength that each one of them demonstrates that I can only say is inspiring and instructional.