My first introduction into the YA novels of Courtney Summers was with her zombie thriller This is Not a Test, back in 2012. Since I am not into most things zombie-related, my enjoyment of the book came as a surprise, and also spoke to Summers' storytelling, as well as her ability to keep me reading when I was not at all excited to know what was coming next. Almost the exact same thing happened with All the Rage in 2015, though without the zombies, so that brings me here. Sadie also promised to be tense and intriguing as it starts, as many stories do, with the body of a dead girl.The Situation: Radio personality West McCray gets a phone call about a missing girl. Sadie Hunter is a 19 year-old girl from Cold Creek, Colorado, the kind of declining small town that West covers on his show. At first, West blows the call off. Girls go missing all of the time. But when his boss presses him to take the assignment, West begins a journey through several small towns in Colorado, all in various states of economic health, looking for the girl who disappeared after the death of her sister. Thirteen year-old Mattie Southern's body was found in an orchard just outside of Cold Creek. With the cause of death being blunt-force trauma to the head, and with witnesses saying the last time they say her she was getting into a truck with an unseen driver, Sadie is sure she knows what happened to her sister. With only a few clues, little money, and the essentials in her trusty green canvas backpack, Sadie sets out to seek her own justice against the man who took her sister's life.
The Problem: West's primary source of information is May Beth, the woman who owns and lives in the trailer park where Sadie and Mattie grew up. But even with May Beth able to supply the sisters' history - how Sadie basically raised Mattie; how Mattie was Sadie's entire world; how their mother abandoned them, and when she was there it was clear she favored Mattie - West is still a few too many steps behind Sadie. Through the podcast he has created specifically for this heartbreaking case, West chronicles his journey through Colorado, the people he meets, the places Sadie goes, and who she is looking for. May Beth fears they may already have another dead girl on their hands, but Sadie is not interested in dying. She is determined to find the man she knows killed her sister, and who is also responsible for one of the worst years of her life. As determined as she is, Sadie may be in over her head, and West may be too many steps behind to find her in time.
Genre, Themes, History: This is a young adult fiction novel with two mysteries to solve. The first is the matter of who killed Mattie, and will Sadie be able to find him. The second is where exactly Sadie has run off to, and will West be able to find her. In alternating chapters, the story is told through both the transcripts from West's podcast, simple titled "The Girls," and Sadie's adventures as she hunts down one of her mother's many former boyfriends. Even without what happened to her sister, Sadie's life has not been easy. Born with a stutter that has earned her mostly stares, winces, and taunting, she struggles to communicate. Add her mother's troubled history of alcoholism, drug abuse, and neglect, as well as her tendency to bring home men that were not the kind to have around her young daughters, and Sadie also has a hard time trusting, feeling like she needs to be constantly on her guard. She is beyond determined to find the man she is looking for, but she also lacks resources and forethought, often running into dangerous situations without thinking them through. West's difficulties are different, as many people are not interested in speaking with him, and it could be that he is too late. It is a novel about what can happen when someone is forced to grow up too soon, with little support, and only for everything to be taken from them.
My Verdict: One thing Summers has never done, at least in the three books of hers I have read, is hold back, or shy away from the hard stuff. This book is full of the kind of thing we are all sick of seeing on the news. What is nice is Summers' ability to approach these topics honestly, but without gratuitous details that would turn the reader off completely. Some of it is still hard to read, but with well-rounded characters, vivid small-town settings, and Sadie's determination moving everything forward, the difficult parts are well-supported, and if anything, add to a desire for justice, if not full-on revenge. With the switching timelines and narrations, the story could become confusing and hard to follow, especially as there are some things we know for sure because of Sadie, while West is trailing behind and has not made certain connections yet. Also, with a mystery this good, readers can end up unsatisfied with the ending we're given. And I initially thought the podcast format was going to be problematic, but it turned out to be a creative and different way to unravel a mystery. Fans who have been following Summers' work will appreciate this latest addition.
Favorite Moment: When one of the towns Sadie visits receives long deserved justice.
Favorite Character: Javi is a young man Sadie meets in the small but prosperous town of Montgomery, Colorado. He is somewhat shy, but manages to earn Sadie's trust, and even makes a difficult decision despite the problems it will cause.
Recommended Reading: Of the two previous books I have read by Summers, I recommend This is Not a Test. But I will also recommend The Collector series by Dot Hutchison.
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