Review of "Losing Austin" by Michael J. Bowler

Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)

Losing Austin by Michael J. Bowler is a riveting, heartfelt mystery about brotherhood, guilt, and the strange ways love can guide us through the rain. It turns a missing-person search into a redemption story you feel in your chest, all while tactfully exploring the subject of autism spectrum disorder and its impacts on individuals and their families.

And, let's face it, this book does kinda jump the shark and become a fascinating (albeit tonal-shifting) becomes a fascinating (albeit tonal-shifting) X-Files-adjacent detour. It raises eyebrows, sure, but it also raises stakes, reframing the mystery through wonder instead of dread. So, if you're up for a sci-fi mystery with some nods to folklore and superstition, this might be up your alley as well.

This novel follows a very compelling protagonist, Colton Bowman, who is a gravely misunderstood kid whose brother, Austin, lives with autism. Now, what makes Colton so compelling and so misunderstood? Well, the very fact that he is misunderstood, mistreated, underappreciated, and disrespected is why we (the audience) feel compelled to get behind him. His life is truly unfair, and he is treated so unfairly at every turn and every opportunity. He is mislabeled as "troubled" and "psychotic" because he gets into so many fights at school in defense of his brother. Eventually, he is even accused of his brother's murder, a slanderous rumor which spreads like wildfire due to social media and public hysteria.

Oh, and his mom sucks. We know that's not tactful to say, but Colton (and Austin's) mom comes across as a terrible person throughout most of this book. She's rarely physically abusive, but she definitely has an emotional, mental, and psychological impact on Colton, who often feels unloved and unwanted because of the way his mother treats him.

Anyone who has been mistreated, mislabeled, or wrongfully accused of something can relate to the way that Colton feels.

That relatability and that feeling of unfairness oozes off of the pages. You—the reader—just want to get in there and stand up for Colton the same way he stands up for Austin.

Speaking of Austin... his sudden and shocking disappearance is the inciting incident of this novel, but not after a traumatic incident in which Colton, frustrated, tells Austin that he hates him. This profoundly haunts Colton, filling him with guilt and a drive to reconcile with his missing brother, something which seems impossible in his absence.

Austin's disappearance sets off a media circus and hysterical public frenzy with Colton and his family caught in the middle of it. Was he abducted? Was he murdered? Did he just wander off?

Now, in all honesty, this part of the book was a little wonky and off in our opinion. First of all, time FLIES in this section. Seriously, years and years pass in which Austin is missing. And what's weird extra weird is that we keep being told that Colton wants to find and reconcile with his brother, but we don't remember him actually going out there and searching in those 2-5 years. Like, you're telling us that in 2-5 years, he never bothered to at least search in the direction of the rainbow that Austin was pointing to? It never occurred to him? Instead, he jumps to some really weird conclusions, chief of which is his alien abduction theory, which he becomes fixated on. Of all things?

Now, he does do some digital sleuthing which leads him to form relationships with Keilani, a Hawaiian girl online whose brother has also gone missing (having a paranormal, folkloric explanation for these disappearances), and Emily ("Fringe Girl"), a conspiracy theorist and message-board sleuth who brings receipts—archived threads, odd ‘implant’ photos, and mirror/rainbow theories that push the case past the ordinary. These girls, alongside Colton's friend, Casey, form a Mystery Inc-like group chasing the truth about Austin's disappearance.

This highlights one of the things we appreciated about this book and the plot involving Austin's disappearance: it brings people together. Yes, there's the crazy media and paparazzi. Yes, the CDC, DHS, and FBI get involved. However, it's the friendships and bonds that Colton gains with Casey, Keilani, and Emily that are truly special. We'll get to more of his relationships later, but back to the plot...

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
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Surprisingly early on in the book, Austin suddenly and inexplicably returns. He hasn't aged a day and is even wearing the exact same clothes he was wearing the day he disappeared.

We'd say this is a spoiler, but it happens really early in the book (about 20-25% of the way in). A lot of this book is actually more about the aftermath of his return and the mystery of what happened to Austin rather than finding him. We were actually a little disappointed about that.

Anyway, Austin is viewed as a miracle and scientific marvel. Everyone is fascinated and baffled by the fact that he hasn't aged despite the fact that he should be about 20-years-old at the time of his return.

Again, the CDC, DHS, and FBI get involved. Numerous tests are run on Austin, and the mystery only grows.

Conspiracy theories go wild. Colton, Keilani, Emily, and others come up with all sorts of exotic explanations.

All the while, Austin isn't exactly acting like Austin. He seems to be trying to communicate something through art. He's also more willing to be hugged, especially by Colton, and actually seems to prefer his care and company compared to his parents—a stark contrast to how Austin was before. Oh, and he actually makes eye contact a few times, something which he never did before.

So, something is definitely up with him.

We'll try not to spoil the ultimate explanation for you, but it's a somewhat satisfactory explanation. And, to be perfectly honest, the final scene with the two brothers is one of the most emotionally-riveting scenes we've read in a long time. You can tell that the author must've been in tears writing it. We were close to tears!

It's really a reversal of the dynamics in their relationship, and it's thought-provoking. It makes you think about what it must be like to be autistic--the frustration of feeling unable to connect or communicate like "normal" people along with the feeling of being trapped.

​We mentioned how one of the things we loved about this book was how the plot brought a lot of people together. In fact, a lot of people become romantic partners/couples. Everyone has an arc. In fact, when Anderson Cooper runs a special about Colton, Austin, and their family, people tell Colton about how their story inspired them to make changes in their lives and/or reconcile with others. There's even an opportunity for Colton's terrible parents to redeem themselves. Essentially, Colton's story is an epiphany for a lot of people around the world.
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MAJOR SPOILERS END

We love that everything in this book seems to matter and isn't just there as fluff. For example, yes there are weird explanations and theories for Austin's disappearance, but even they serve as thought-provoking red-herrings.

We also love Colton's growth as a character. He goes from being someone who is mistreated, unappreciated, and disrespected to someone who is looked up to and viewed as inspirational.

Check it out on Amazon!