The Boy Who Went Away

The Boy Who Went Away, awarded the American Academy's Rome Prize for fiction, is a poignant coming-of-age novel set during the tumultuous summer of 1967. It follows Denny Graubert as he navigates the challenges of adolescence and witnesses his mother’s desperate efforts to care for his autistic older brother, Fad, amid the era's limited understanding of autism. Through Denny’s perspective, the story explores themes of family, change, and loss, capturing the emotional complexities that shape their lives.