Gone, Gone, Gone

Gone, Gone, Gone takes place about a year following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when the DC-area sniper was at large.  The novel captures the heightened fear that the sniper brought to the nation. It also comments on the way we often try to take ownership of the tragedies that happen to our communities and the nation as a whole.

The novel utilizes dual narration, with alternating chapters of Lio and Craig's perspective on the terror and its impact on their burgeoning relationship.  Craig is an ultra-sensitive teen, still reeling from the loss of his first love, and Lio is a cancer survivor from NY who is new to the DC area. The two have an immediate connection with each other, and work toward a relationship all the while working through their feelings on who can claim ownership of the tragedies, who is allowed to feel scared, why they personally shouldn't feel scared, etc.

It can get pretty angsty and at times, confusing, but the teen's dramatic interactions ring true.  They are informed by the author's (Hanna Moskowitz) own experiences during the sniper attacks and I think that many readers who have experienced a tragic national event will understand the emotions Lio and Craig experience. I personally won't forget how freaked out I was by the DC sniper and I was all the way in Boston when that happened. [Seriously, I once had a nightmare that I was a victim. I woke up the next day to news that there was, in fact, another victim. My father then walked past me in the hallway when I said good morning and I was convinced for about 5 minutes that I was a ghost.] Fast forward to the Boston Marathon 2 months ago and while I was terrified, I wanted nothing more than to go about my normal routine and prove that I was strong (Boston Strong, if you will).

What I liked best about the novel was that all of the conflicts were related to the national tragedies and not LGBT matters.  There are no negative consequences - broken hearts aside - from the main characters' homosexuality.  It's just a normal thing.