The Second Life of Ava Rivers

Gr 8 Up—When Vera Rivers was six years old, her twin sister, Ava, disappeared on Halloween night. Vera has spent the past 12 years drifting through life with her troubled family. She is only days away from finally escaping the mournful gloom to college when a girl turns up at a local hospital—a girl who is believed to be Ava. Vera decides to stay and help her deal with the trauma of her captivity and reestablish their bond. However, the truth about what happened to Ava will change Vera's world yet again. Gardner's snappy style works well with the spot-on pacing, and the details of the Berkeley setting adds to the story. Unfortunately, the characters lack the same thoughtful consideration, each having only a single defining characteristic. Mom is busy, Dad is agoraphobic, Vera's brother, Elliot, is troubled, and everyone's problems—including Elliot's addiction—just fall away once Ava rejoins the family. Readers know that Ava was held captive and assaulted, but details beyond that are sparse and not graphic. While most will happily suspend disbelief for the kidnapping narrative, they may find the final twist and the family's mild reactions to it improbable.