""It was the summer of her Chevette, of J.P., and letting her hair grow." It is also the summer when, without warning, college-bound Kim Larsen disappears from her quiet Lake Erie town. Her parents, her little sister, her best friends and new boyfriend now must do everything to find her. As time passes and local search parties give way to wider TV appearances, private investigations unearth dirty secrets, and we follow those closest to Kim as they struggle to maintain hope and, finally, as the news cameras turn away, to hang on to both her and themselves. Stark and honest, this is an intimate account of what happens behind and beyond the headlines when those who stay after the media leaves deal with the real consequences of a very American tragedy." "Stewart O'Nan's newest novel opens with the suspense of a thriller and soon deepens into an affecting family drama of loss."--BOOK JACKET.