Book Review - Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia

 

In Minnesota, there are hundreds of miles of glacial lakes and forests that are known as the Boundary Waters. Ten years ago, a man and his son went into the wilderness to camp and was never heard from again. People and search teams searched desperately for the pair because their campsite looks like it was ravaged by a bear. 

Everyone assumed that they were dead until a decade later, the son, Lucas, returns. He was found ransacking an outfitter store during the middle of the night. When the police arrived, Lucas became violent and uncommunicative. He was sent to a psychiatric facility to help him. 

Maya Stark is an assistant language therapist that is assigned to help Lucas. Maya tries to help Lucas answer what happened to his father and the last ten years of his life. Maya was abandoned by her mother at a young age. As she tries to help Lucas, her own secrets start to bubble up to the surface. She finds herself drawn to Lucas and she is willing to risk everything to reunite him with his father.

I found the novel to be an interesting and entertaining read. I found some parts of the novel to be unbelievable and predictable. I thought that the novel progressed very slowly during some parts with Maya and Lucas. I liked the backstory of Sarah and Josiah and enjoyed reading his narration. Personally, I didn't understand his need to be outside all the time but, I felt his story was poignant. I am a bit torn over the ending. The ending wrapped everything up neatly but, I felt like I needed something more.