The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner (review)

It’s been almost twelve years since Vera’s twin, Ava, disappeared, and ever since then Vera has felt like a ghost in her own house, slipping around unnoticed as her parents focus on their search for Ava and for justice. Just as she’s days away from escaping to college, the family gets shattering news: Ava has been found. Vera puts her plans on hold to reconnect with her lost sister, and she bonds tightly with the traumatized yet tough girl who has endured horrifying years of captivity and abuse yet still has capacity for love and joy. Ava’s return revivifies the family, bringing Elliott, the black sheep older brother, back into the fold, inspiring Vera’s mother to spend more time at home and Vera’s father to leave the confines of the house, but they also struggle with Ava’s inability (and, Vera realizes, unwillingness) to help the police arrest the culprit. Missing kid books aren’t rare, but Gardner brings a unique tenderness to this one; Vera is a deeply compelling narrator of this strange experience that no one, even her parents, can really understand the way she does, and she’s sadly philosophical about what it’s done to her life. Her fierce protectiveness of Ava, especially amid the media circus that surrounds her return, and understanding of the special role she has in Ava’s life make her deeply appealing. The book has its surprises, but it remains firmly focused on the human dynamics of creating family and individual identity in the face of tragedy.