Summer Reading Assignment: Entry Four

When I originally looked at the list of books that were available to be chosen from, none truly stuck out to me until I arrived at this book, Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. I think what first caught my attention was the book cover. I know the cliche “don’t judge a book by its cover” but this book just caught my eye. Then, I decided to do a little research on the book and found out that it was about more than just a bird, it was about a boy who magically disappeared into thin air one day, and a high school graduate who wanted nothing more than to get his father’s approval, and how a silly bird could bring all of these things together. For me, I think what really convinced me to choose this book was the fact that the main plot is about a high school boy and his brother who eventually disappears one day, and I too have a brother so I feel a connection to it.

There weren’t many personal connections that I could find between the novel and myself after I finished it. The biggest connection is that I too have a brother like Cullen, but mine is the older sibling, and like Cullen if my brother had disappeared I wouldn’t have been able to get my mind off of trying to find him. It wouldn’t matter what was going on, I would only be able to concentrate on my brother.

I would recommend this book to people that want to read a story about second chances that isn’t completely sad and will not make you want to ball your eyes out. I feel that this book should be read by people that are at all different stages of life, in high school, in college, out of college. In my mind,  this story is for anyone who is looking for a good read that could take a while. I say this because there is a lot of information that some people may not understand if they aren’t at least in high school. Also, this isn’t a good book for people that are looking for a quick read because it can be very slow moving at times, especially in the middle of the book and also because the context of the pages isn’t just something you’re going to want to breeze through if you are going to understand the story.

Summer Reading Assignment: Entry Three

I feel that in this book, Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley that there are only a few sections in the story that contain enough action to spark an interest, or in my case, re-engage me in the novel. The excerpt that I have chosen comes from the end of the book where you feel like the author is just prolonging the ending to meet a page length requirement, and then suddenly he slams a door in your face that is just filled with action. I have decided to exclude the name of the captor since that would nearly spoil the entire colliding of the two worlds that effect each other in the end.

The section of the book that would hopefully hook potential readers says, “With that, (the captor’s name) sat down on the edge of the bed, looked down at Gabriel Witter and his bleeding scalp, and said nothing. He looked over to the television to see a shot of a news program being broadcast from Lily, Arkansas. A small caption appeared under an image of a reporter standing before a patch of swampy woods. The caption read NO SECOND CHANCES IN LILY, ARKANSAS. (The captor’s name) began to laugh. He got louder and louder and finally stopped, abruptly, as he looked back down at the motionless figure on his floor. ‘It’s times to say good-bye, Gabriel,’ (the captor’s name) muttered, standing up and switching off the television.” (Pg 223)

In this excerpt from the book, Gabriel is with his captor and is being grilled with questions of whether he himself is doing the right things in life, and if he is the chosen one from God.  The captor asked  why Gabriel killed all of the fallen angels, and also if Gabriel was the Angel Gabriel from the left hand of God who had prevented humankind from being as smart and powerful as God himself, and also that Gabriel must go home to heaven. During the excerpt, Gabriel is also being thrown about like a rag doll and being abused until finally telling his captor that he is not the chosen one of God. To which his captor’s response is that Gabriel must say good-bye and go home. What really keeps the interest of the audience is that we do not know which home he is going to. Is it Gabriel’s actual home in Lily, Arkansas or heaven to go be with God like his captor thinks is his true home? To find out you’re going to have to read the book. (Or you could just skip to the ending!)

Click on the link for a trailer of the book that gives a good perspective of what the novel is about http://vimeo.com/30104827

Summer Reading Assignment: Entry Two

I feel that the complexity of each character is brought on by their actions and feelings in the novel Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley. The main characters in Lily, Arkansas are Cullen and Gabriel Witter and their best friend Lucas Cader.  They all have one thing in common and that is what they desire. These three all desire to someday make it out of Lily and not get sucked back in by the “Black Hole of Arkansas” (aka Lily, Arkansas). For Cullen, once his younger brother randomly disappears, all that he wants is for his brother to be found and return home. He also wants the rest of the town to treat he and his family normally like they used to before Gabriel’s disappearance.  As for Lucas Cader, all here cares about is getting Gabriel back for Cullen’s sake because of the connection and close relationship that he has with his family. You see Lucas’s brother died in a car accident when he was only 12 years old, so if they lost Gabriel, Lucas would feel that he lost another brother because of how close he is to Cullen and Gabriel. For Benton Sage, I believe that the main thing that he desires is to find a way to truly do the work of God and he feels that he cannot accomplish that when he himself does not fully understand the testament of God.

The themes of this novel that are beginning to appear are resurrection and second chances. These two themes are heavily called upon throughout the novel and easily connect with each other. They connect because Lily, Arkansas is basically the town where things come back and sometimes where they get a second chance.  In the case of the Lazarus Woodpecker it becomes resurrected after thought to be extinct for sixty years in Lily, Arkansas and gets a second chance to live.

This book is structured very oddly when you first begin to read it. It starts off talking just about Lily, Arkansas through the narration of Cullen but after the first chapter, the novel shifts to the story about Benton Sage, which early on seems to have no bearing on what’s happening in Lily.  As both storylines progress, we see how the two become one.

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