Gone, by Michael Grant

Gone, a novel by Michael Grant, has become very popular due to its compelling plot and gripping suspense. The novel starts slowly, as to keep the reader unaware of coming events. In the town of Perdido Beach, a teen named Sam and his best friend Quincy are in for quite the ride. One day in school, people start to become missing, or gone as the title implies. The observation of the various disappearances lead to a single conclusion, that anyone over the age of fifteen vanishes. The story moves from utter panic in the small town, to anarchy, and eventually, to a crude oligarchy, or a rule by few. Sometimes, the little things in life haven’t really mattered until the disappearances. “The stars are still there,” was said by a girl named Astrid, who was amazed that in this terrible world that they had been forced into, that there would still be stars, as if it were a glimmering sliver of hope. This is a very good read, and I personally would suggest it to you, if you have and afternoon or two to kill. A very uncommon plot is used in this book. Also, the characters are very well developed. The author truly makes you loathe some characters enough that even reading their name makes you seethe with anger. Overall, I very much enjoyed the reading of this book, and would happily suggest it to you, if you are a fan of dystopian teen novels.

Charlie