Frank, Boots, and Chuck move to Slippery Elm, returning to Chuck's childhood home to care for his ailing mother. Once there, Frank soon learns about Chuck's little brother, who disappeared when they were children. Chuck had never told his daughters about his lost brother, and Frank starts hearing things all over town. She doesn't want to know about it, though, she just wants out of this town. When another child close to the family is found dead, Chuck is suspect #1 and Frank has to try and prove that Chuck isn't the culprit. By the end of the novel, mysteries are wrapped up that no one was trying to solve.

Honestly, I was not a fan of this novel. Frank has no redeeming qualities. She's rude and obnoxious, not likeable at all. Her little sister Boots is okay, but isn't really a major player in the story. Chuck (who they never refer to as Dad) is an alcoholic and liar who isn't able to care for his children. Ruth, the grandmother, is creepy and weird, not really the grandmotherly type. None of the side characters are really any better except for Bernice, who is the only breath of fresh air out of the whole bunch.

I thought the novel was supposed to center around Frank trying to find out what happened to her Uncle Danny back when Chuck was a kid, but she refuses to listen to anyone who wants to tell her about it. There didn't seem to be a lot happening, there was nothing really moving the story forward, then all of a sudden with about 80 pages left everything comes together, but there was no lead-up to any of the multiple resolutions. I just didn't enjoy it.

All in all, not a completely terrible novel, however I was really disappointed with it. I had to just keep reading, hoping something would happen. Read at your own risk, I can't in good conscience recommend it. ( )

"On that night, there were no sounds. No sights. Only the fog hushing the woods with secrets."
On Halloween 1963, 11 year old Chuck and his brother Danny are lost in a toxic smog covering the town of Slippery Elm. When the smog lifts, half the town is sick and 20 people are dead. And Danny is missing. Over 20 years later, Chuck's teenage daughter Frank plots to escape from the town. When a murdered child is found in the river, investigators link the crime to Danny's disappearance, and Frank's life is turned upside down. She must uncover her family's dark past if she wants to keep her sister Boots from The State.
Alright so this book was a little different than I expected. We get a lot of ominous and mysterious vibes pretty early on. It also becomes clear that the story is told in retrospect through the tone of the narrator. The book claims a shocking eleventh hour reveal and an emotionally charged finale, but to me it just fell a little flat on that promise. I loved Frank and Boots I think that the love Frank had for her sister is one of the most redeeming qualities for her throughout this book. I'll say this book is one that you have to be prepared for some dark topics, because it was hitting on some difficult stuff, especially child neglect.
All the characters felt like this little band of misfits who found one another, and then bad stuff just kept happening. A lot of secrets aren't revealed until the very end and then a few of them felt wrapped up too nicely in my opinion. It just felt too simple of an answer. I also didn't like that by the end it didn't feel like anything had been resolved, I was left feeling slightly unfulfilled by the events. However, the book is well written and engaging. It was a quick read and well written. I just wished things had turned out a little differently or been explored in more detail. It honestly felt like all the murder/mystery elements were just background story. I think I would have liked it better if it had just been a coming of age story, without the murder/mystery elements. ( )