Caley’s parents are divorced. His father changes personalities like Mr. Rogers does sweater vests, and his mother has lost her attachment to Caley and his siblings after marrying an unsympathetic man. Gone and Back Again by Jonathon Scott Fuqua is a book that pulls at your heart with all too real scenes of life in a dysfunctional home.

Gone and Back Again, published by Soft Skull Press, shows the progression of Caley’s family over a couple of years, and is cleverly written from the viewpoint of a growing boy. The story begins in the voice of an 11-year-old and subtly transforms to that of a preteen. Engaging dialogue, well-formed characters, and references to the time period of the ’80s made this book worth the read.

Jonathon Scott Fuqua has written four young adult novels before publishing this adult novel. This would also be interesting to teens as well, even though there is some drug and alcohol use present in the book. But the subject matter is something that many kids have gone through and can relate too; ultimately, they may be able to gain some strength from Caley’s story as he learns to deal with the depression and rebellion that often surfaces when a child is raised in difficult circumstances.

Overall, I felt the book got even stronger as it progressed, and I’ll definitely be on the lookout for more Fuqua in the future.