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If you loved
Books like Where things come back
A wry, surreal exploration of ambiguous loss and the bizarre ways we search for meaning when the world stops making sense. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Where things come back.
- bittersweet
- surreal
- claustrophobic
- contemplative
- 01
Looking for Alaska
John Green · 2006
A bittersweet, smoke-ringed exploration of first loves, sudden losses, and the impossible task of truly knowing another person.
- 02
Things hoped for
Andrew Clements
A tense but hopeful exploration of artistic ambition, sudden independence, and the mysteries hidden within our own families.
- 03
The Realm of Possibility
David Levithan
A tender, kaleidoscopic exploration of teenage life told through a chorus of poetic voices.
- 04
Paper Towns
John Green
A restless, witty road trip that dismantles the myth of the perfect girl next door.
- 05
What's eating Gilbert Grape
Peter Hedges
A darkly funny, deeply tender portrait of a young man suffocating under the weight of his own family tree in a town where nothing ever happens.
- 06
Farewell Summer
Ray Bradbury
A wistful, sun-drenched lingering at the edge of childhood, where the playful battles of youth meet the inevitable march of time.
- 07
I'll Give You the Sun
Jandy Nelson
A vibrant, paint-splattered explosion of grief, first love, and the fierce, fractured bond between twins.
- 08
Miracle's Boys
Jacqueline Woodson
A tender, aching exploration of brotherhood and grief that finds hope in the spaces between fractured relationships.
- 09
Elsewhere
Gabrielle Zevin
A bittersweet, imaginative exploration of what it means to live, even after life has ended.
- 10
Mockingbird
Kathryn Erskine
A tender, literal-minded exploration of grief that slowly colors outside the lines of a black-and-white world.
- 11
Hold Still
Nina LaCour
A tender, aching exploration of the quiet spaces left behind by loss, and the slow, messy art of learning to breathe again.
- 12
Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles #1)
Colin Meloy
A thick, autumnal tapestry of talking animals, secret forests, and folksy magic that feels like discovering a hidden world in your own backyard.
