THE LEAVING SUMMER

by Donal Harding ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1996

Austin Carroll turns 11 in the summer of 1958 in North Carolina. His beloved mother left home seven weeks earlier, for reasons no one will explain. When two convicts, hired by his father to pick tomatoes, escape, Austin discovers one of them in the woods, wounded. He and his aunt hide the man in her basement to protect him from vigilantes. Austin narrates as an adult looking back at a defining summer in his childhood, a structure that somewhat compromises the story's immediacy but doesn't after its impact. Using careful, realistic characterizations, Harding's first novel touches on the issue of racism (through Austin's relationship with the black housekeeper, Miss Dixie) and explores the mysteries and disappointments of love. Austin, an intelligent, introspective child, struggles to make sense of the adult world in a story that has a good balance of action and reflection as well as a strong sense of place.

Pub Date: May 1, 1996

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 177

Publisher: Morrow

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1996

Categories: CHILDREN'S