CONTEST: Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

Tomorrow, the new book Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley hits store shelves everywhere — and, to put it lightly, we are SO excited about it!!! There are plenty of things to love about this book, from the oh-so-gorgeous cover (which we spotlighted last week), to it’s timeless qualities, beautiful prose and engaging characters.

Much in the style of Catcher in the Rye, Where Things Come Back is the kind of book that teens and adults alike will embrace. We’ll be featuring this book all week here at Novel Novice, and to kick things off, we’ve got a chance for you to win a SIGNED copy of the book for your very own!

Keep reading to find out more:

The Contest:

Where Things Come Back covers a lot of subjects and themes, but at the heart of the story is the idea of second chances. So for this contest, we want you to tell us about a time you were given a second chance.

Just fill out the Novel Novice Where Things Come Back Contest Entry Form and tell us in 150-300 words about your second chance, and what it meant to you.

Winners will be chosen based on the quality of these entries, so write carefully & thoughtfully!

The Prizes:

Three (3) winners will each receive a SIGNED copy of Where Things Come Back, courtesy of S&S!

The Rules:

• U.S. only
• One entry per person
• Use proper grammar & spelling
• Entries should be 150-300 words
• Use the entry form

The Deadline:

All entries are due by midnight (PT) on Monday, May 9th.

Questions? Leave ’em in the comments & we’ll reply.

In the meantime, here is the official synopsis:

Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .

In the summer before Cullen’s senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone’s eating “Lazarus burgers.” But as absurd as the town’s carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.

While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.

Complex but truly extraordinary, tinged with melancholy and regret, comedy and absurdity, this novel finds wonder in the ordinary and emerges as ultimately hopeful. It’s about a lot more than what Cullen calls, “that damn bird.” It’s about the dream of second chances.