Leave No Trace (by Mindy Mejia)
On the surface, when I selected this audiobook, Leave No Trace by Mindy Mejia, from my massive TBR, I thought it was going to be this suspenseful story about a teenager who emerged from the wilderness 10 years after he and his father had gone missing. I finished this book stunned in deep thought with a lot to process.
Yes, it is a story about a father, Josiah, and son, Lucas, who went camping in the wilderness, like they did frequently. The two went missing and were presumed dead until Lucas appeared 10 years later ransacking an outfitter store. Due to his erratic behavior and lack of communication, he was placed in a psychiatric facility. Maya, a young speech therapist, is assigned to work with Lucas to find out what happened to his father. And that just scratches the surface of this story.
There is a lot of suspense as the unknown fate of the father is of prevalent concern. There is depth to the story as the family history unfolds. I am fond of how the story switched to the past from time to time. It allowed me to understand the characters and their life choices.
There’s a lot of things I really hold dear about this book. As a nature lover, I enjoyed the setting of Minnesota with the rural forests and glacial lakes. I’ve never been to Minnesota, so it was a pleasure to learn about The Boundary Waters. Mindy’s talent for writing also helped create a vivid mental picture of what must be beautiful land. And, what a perfect time for me to select this book as it takes place in fall with winter quickly approaching. The way mental health professionals treat people with mental health disorders, or even perceived disorders, is striking in this story. When I refer to perceived mental health disorders, I am referring to people with unusual lifestyles. It remains prevalent that those of us in helping professionals try to treat those different from the societal norm, rather than gain an understanding of why they chose a unique way of life and how it works for them. Another layer of this story lies with Maya, whose mother disappeared long ago. While genuinely trying to help Lucas, Maya is forced to examine her own past and trauma related to loss.
I became aware while listening to this audiobook that I genuinely rooted for the father and son and became highly annoyed with the psychiatric staff. The ending was not a fairytale ending. There were some shocking events with hope for a peaceful future. I believe this story will stick with me for a long time.
I purchased this audiobook through my Audible membership. It was a pleasure listening to the narration by Patricia Rodriguez.
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