Summer Reading Assignment: Entry One

In Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley the major characters are Cullen Witter, his brother Gabriel, their best friend Lucas and also Benton Sage who is the most important character of the other part of the novel. Yes, there are indeed two parts of the novel that later intervene which explains the title. The interesting title describes the small town of Lily, Arkansas that happens to be the setting of this award-winning novel. The author, John Corey Whaley gives this town this title because of what occurs in this small town. As Cullen describes it he says, “who tried and subsequently failed to leave this place behind.” (Pg. 10) Cullen means that this small town of Lily, Arkansas is where people come back because that just can’t escape its powerful grip as one of, “ The Black Holes of Arkansas.” (Pg. 36)

The conflict that is on going for the audience is the random, and sudden disappearance of Cullen’s younger brother, Gabriel. This disappearance also occurs right at the same time that a man from Oregon claims to have seen a woodpecker that was said to be extinct for about sixty years in their small and non-important town of Lily, Arkansas. Another conflict is what is going on with Benton Sage because he feels that he is not truly doing the work of God, but I guess we will see if his current position plays out into a larger conflict.

A prediction that I have is that Gabriel will end up back at Lily at the end of the novel because the title says it’s the place where things come back. The novel does not say that Gabriel left town, it just states that he has disappeared.  Another prediction that I have is that Benton Sages’ story will end up connecting and maybe even affecting what is going on in Lily.

I feel that this connects to the song Dust by Eli Young Band because the story to the song is that this girl is sick of the town she’s in, sick of her dreams never fulfilling, and sick of the same old story that keeps reoccurring. The lyrics go on to say that she has the opportunity to leave the town and she takes it. And I feel that maybe if Cullen or one of the other main characters gets that opportunity then maybe they will also take the chance. 

For the lyrics to the song Dust by the Eli Young Band, click on the link provided! http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/eliyoungband/dust.html