Return to Sender

I was an admirer of Lauren Draper’s first YA novel, The Museum of Broken Things, and my admiration continues with this, her second novel. At a time when a lot of YA seems to be dominated by fantasy and dead teens, Draper’s contemporary settings juxtaposed with years gone by are a refreshing change.

Three 17-year-old friends are reunited after three years when Brodie McKellon returns from boarding school. When she left, she had been suspected of stealing the town’s famous Adder Stone. On the night she returns, she is caught trespassing on private property as a shortcut home, and the local policeman is less than happy she has returned, especially as his son, Levi, is one of the three friends. Brodie and Levi had been on the cusp of becoming more than friends when a misunderstanding saw them estranged when she left town. Now, they have to navigate mixed feelings. Elliot, their other friend, is coping with family violence and is in a new romantic relationship but is ecstatic that Brodie is back. Brodie is staying with her eccentric but wise grandmother, who operates the town’s post office, which is also her home.

Before Brodie left, the threesome was trying to solve the mystery of a cache of uncollected correspondence left in one of the post office boxes. Now that she has returned, they resume their search and eventually discover an old tragedy with heartbreaking revelations and the repercussions ripple down to the present generation. Return to Sender is an engrossing read with well-developed characters and a sympathetic exploration of family, friendships and first loves. For ages 13+.