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The Leaving Year

“This debut novel is a masterly coming-of-age story… This indie delight will charm readers with its story about family and self-discovery”— School Library Journal, starred review

The Leaving Year

Available now from SparkPress

AS THE SUMMER OF LOVE COMES TO AN END, fifteen-year-old Ida Petrovich waits for a father who will never return. He’s been lost at sea while commercial ﬁshing, but with no body and no wreckage, his death can only be presumed. While she and her mother struggle with this uncertain loss, Ida makes a series of troubling discoveries that sends her running away to Alaska on a quest for answers. In this wild, rugged place, she begins to understand the secret bonds that brought her father north . . . because she feels them, too.

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Reviews

"Ida Petrovich, wise and brave beyond her years, takes us on an incredible journey as she seeks the truth about her father's disappearance. Rich in period details of the 1960's, and set against the spectacular backdrop of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, The Leaving Year, is a lovely story of youth, sorrow, and personal growth. Truly a Young Adult must-read."
Anne Leigh Parrish award-winning author of The Amendment
"In Pam McGaffin’s exceptional debut, emotion bubbles right below the surface and weaves an addictive tale of mystery and forgiveness as Ida’s search for a missing father takes her on a remarkable journey to find herself."
Jan Von Schleh award-winning author of But Not Forever
“A touching tale of loss and finding your way back. This coming-of-age tale is not to be missed.”
Lish McBride award-winning author of the Necromancer and Firebug series
“The Leaving Year takes the reader to a time and a place that is not only singular, but beautifully familiar. Author Pam McGaffin has written a powerful story of loss and its unknowns, rife with grief and confusion, and weaves it into an empowering journey of self-discovery and promise.”
Emily Russin writer and editor
An atmospheric and richly layered coming-of-age novel with a protagonist to root for and a page-turning mystery. Family secrets, first love, a quest for truth and a character who heals and expands her worldview through a journey to Alaska; what more can you ask for? I loved this story.
Kristin Bartley Lenz award-winning author of The Art of Holding On and Letting Go
Pam McGaffin has crafted a coming-of-age novel that starts and ends in the fishing communities of Puget Sound, but whose landscape of imagination is really Alaska. The grandeur of the land and largeness of spirit that shapes our image of the 49th state is echoed in the families that fight and feel their way through this story of caring, loss, and the price of self-awareness.
Steve Lindbeck former CEO of Alaska Public Media and director of the Alaska Humanities Forum
A charming, emotional story about family, fishing, and self-discovery.
Kirkus Reviews
If you're looking to add a heartwarming read to your Summer #TBR pile, The Leaving Year will be your go-to read.
PopSugar
Sometimes emotionally challenging to read, it was easy to keep the pages turning on this gripping tale. -- Seattle Book Review
This is the perfect book to hand down to your young adult children once you've finished. — Working Mother

About The Author

Pam McGaffin is an award-winning former newspaper reporter who returned to her original passion for writing fiction after a long career in journalism and public relations. Her short stories have appeared in online literary journals, and her articles and essays have been featured in newspapers and magazines. She and her family live in Seattle. The Leaving Year is her first novel.

Photo by R. Stuart Bock

The Leaving Year

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