Everything We Lost: A Novel

Lucy Durant was only fourteen-years-old when she lost her older brother. First to his paranoid delusions as he became increasingly obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies. Then, permanently, when he walked into the desert outside Bishop, California, and never returned.

Now on the tenth anniversary of Nolan’s mysterious disappearance, Lucy is still struggling with guilt and confusion—her memories from that period are blurry and obscured by time, distance, and alcohol. Now an adult, she’s stuck in a holding pattern, hiding out at her father’s house, avoiding people, and doing whatever she can to keep herself from thinking about Nolan. But when a series of unsettling events leads Lucy back to Bishop, she is forced to reconcile with her estranged mother and come to terms with the tangled memories of her past to discover what really happened to her brother all those years ago.

Told in Lucy and Nolan's alternating voices, The Dark Beyond is a psychological mystery exploring family, beliefs, obsessions, the nature of memory, and fear of the unknown—a haunting, compelling story that will resonate with readers long after the last page is turned.

From the critically acclaimed author of Crooked River comes a fascinating novel about a young woman searching for answers about her brother’s long-ago disappearance

Lucy Durant was only fourteen years old when she lost her older brother, Nolan. First to his paranoid delusions as he became increasingly obsessed with UFOs and government conspiracies. Then, permanently, to the wilderness outside Bishop, California, when he walked into the desert and never returned.

On the tenth anniversary of Nolan’s mysterious disappearance, Lucy is still struggling with guilt and confusion—her memories from that period are blurry and obscured by time, distance, and alcohol. An adult now, she’s stuck in a holding pattern, hiding out at her father’s house, avoiding people, and doing whatever she can to keep herself from thinking about Nolan. But when a series of unsettling events leads Lucy back to Bishop, she is forced to reconcile with her estranged mother and come to terms with the tangled memories of her past to discover what really happened to her brother all those years ago.

Told in Lucy’s and Nolan’s alternating voices, Everything We Lost is a psychological mystery exploring family, beliefs, obsessions, the nature of memory, and fear of the unknown.

Praise for Crooked River: “The narrative skill displayed is impressive… readers will have a hard time putting this one down.” - Booklist

“From its gruesome first image through its three hundred taut pages—Valerie Geary’s novel is a well-conceived, psychologically dense thrill-ride. At turns surprising and imaginative, this book is nearly impossible to put down.” - Pauls Toutonghi, Author of RED WEATHER and EVEL KNIEVEL DAYS

“CROOKED RIVER is a novel coursing with secrets and unasked questions....This novel is a literary thriller and a psychological study of the effects of loss, but most importantly, it’s a damn fine book.” - Wiley Cash, New York TImes bestselling author of A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME and THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY

“CROOKED RIVER is a novel coursing with secrets and unasked questions. When two girls find a woman’s body in rural Oregon, both suspect their estranged father, an off-the-grid eccentric, to be involved in the woman’s death. But the answers don’t come easily. Like rivers, all secrets must come to an end, and all questions must be answered, regardless of how shocking or how terrifying. This novel is a literary thriller and a psychological study of the effects of loss, but most importantly, it’s a damn fine book.” - Wiley Cash, New York TImes bestselling author of A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME and THIS DARK ROAD TO MERCY

“Crooked River is a an ambitious debut with a beautiful soul. Geary’s dark pen is lyrical and tender boasting clever dialogue and provocative prose.” - Lisa O'Donnell, bestselling author of THE DEATH OF BEES

“An absorbing mystery.” - Library Journal

“Crooked River is as much a coming-of-age novel as it is a well-paced mystery…Geary takes teenage Sam through a looking-glass and then pulls her back with an adult’s sense of loyalty and compassion--a journey equally worthwhile for all of us.” - Shelf Awareness

“[Valerie Geary] captures her readers at once and doesn’t let them go.” - Oklahoma City Oklahoman

“[A] swift and beguiling read… [Sam] is finely drawn, an update on Harper Lee’s Scout.” - BookPage

“Lucid and dense with detail, Everything We Lost is Gone Girl meets The X-Files, a mesmerizing dive into the changeling depths of memory and grief.”   - Carrie La Seur, author of The Home Place and The Weight of an Infinite Sky