Goodbye from nowhere
Kyle Baker thought his family was happy. Happy enough, anyway.
That’s why, when Kyle learns that his mother has been having an affair and his father has been living with the secret, his reality it altered. His quits baseball, ghosts his girlfriend, and generally checks out of life as he’s known it. With his older sisters out of the house and friends who don’t get it, the only person he can talk to is his cousin Emily—who lives hours away and has a life of her own.
As Kyle watches the effects of his parents’ choices ripple out over friends, family, and strangers, and feels the walls of his relationships closing in, he has to decide what his obligations are to everyone he cares for—including himself.
An intimate novel of anxiety and identity, of the ways that secrets keep us together and pull us apart, and of the courage it takes to see those we love for who they are.
✩ A Bank Street Books Best Book
Available in hardcover, ebook and audio (read by Michael Crouch)
“This is a great pick if you’ve never read a book by Sara Zarr, and a must-read if you’re already a fan!” - Book Riot
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★ “Zarr adroitly crafts and dismantles the Baker family at the same time, noting the literal and figurative cracks even in the extended family center, Kyle’s grandparents’ farm; and the novel offers a memorably realistic break from standard fictional tropes of drama as Kyle’s repressed and avoidant parents trudge along with a seemingly untenable marital situation rather than melting down. … Kyle remains a sympathetic protagonist throughout, and readers will be glad to see him weathering the quiet yet devastating storm and coming out strong on the other side.” Bulletin for the Center for Children’s Books
“In a story about broken dreams and unwanted change, Zarr (Gem & Dixie) skillfully conveys Kyle’s emotional journey as his narrow view of reality shifts and expands. … A moving slice of realism, this book shows how a family crisis impacts many aspects of one boy’s life.” - Publishers Weekly
“Sara Zarr has written another intimate portrait of a family falling apart from secrets, of a teen searching for identity and stability, of the courage it takes to move forward when you discover that the people you love are flawed and imperfect and not always there for you. With her signature style of quietly crafted small events that build to revelations and resolutions, Zarr tells Kyle Baker's story with heart and kindness. Goodbye from Nowhere is a quiet gem that will draw you in and hold you tight.” - Joy Preble, Brazos Bookstore, Houston
“The farm beautifully represents both the joy and the sadness Kyle feels in life, making it the centerpiece of the story … readers who have felt crippling anxiety or who bear the burden of a deep secret will want to read this.” Booklist