The Gone Book
by Helena Close
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Pub Date May 20 2025 | Archive Date Jul 09 2025
Publisher Spotlight | Little Island Books
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Description
Hard-hitting urban drama about friendship, family and loss from the author of Things I Know.
Kirkus Starred Review
Matt’s mom left home when he was 10. He writes letters to her but doesn’t send them. He keeps them in his Gone Book, which he hides in his room. Five years of letters about his life. Five years of hurt. Matt’s dad won’t talk about her. His older brother is mixed up with drugs and messing with dangerous characters. His friends, Mikey and Anna, are the best thing in his life, but Matt keeps pushing them away. All Matt wants to do is skate, surf, and forget. But now his mom is back in town and Matt knows he needs to find her, to finally deliver the truth.
For fans of Brian Conaghan.
Advance Praise
"[A] taut, emotionally authentic story ... Powerful." – Kirkus STARRED review
"Closes YA debut is excellent in every regard. The fully realized characters are highly sympathetic and come alive on the page. The plot is compelling, the setting beautifully realized. Hand this to fans of more serious literature." – BookList
“Dark and gritty and desperately sad and wildly funny, this is as real as writing gets. I was locked inside of Matt’s head for the duration, and I lived his whole mad summer. Every line rings perfectly true.” – Donal Ryan, author of The Spinning Heart
“A skillful and truthful novel from a wonderful storyteller.” – Joseph O’Connor, author of My Father's House
“Achingly sad but hugely funny. A gritty story full of heart.” – Sheena Wilkinson, author of Hope against Hope
“Helena Close’s YA debut The Gone Book is sure to make a big splash. From the memorable first line right through to the dramatic conclusion, the story hurtles along at a rapid rate, riding the crest of a massive wave and finally throwing its reader on Lahinch’s shoreline with a thump…Close is an incredible storyteller.” – Books Ireland Magazine
“I would highly recommend this book. It’s a chaotic read, full of twists and turns. It is gritty and realistic, and highlights the anguish of an absent parent and the strife of teenage friendships.” – Paper Lanterns
“A heart-wrenching, hard punching, insightful narrative of life in modern Ireland.” – Swear by the Books
