This is an excellent and unique thriller. A decade prior a father and his young son disappear into the wilds and after extensive searches are presumed dead. But that boy, Lucas, appears and assaults a general store owner which sends him to a psychiatric facility where he refuses to speak. Newly accredited speech therapist maya works in the hospital but her history with it goes so much deeper. Maya attempts to get Lucas to communicate and soon becomes the only person he will react to. Maya and Lucas have a connection but they don’t truly understand it or why it exists. Both of their pasts slowly come to light in this twisty thriller. The characters were realistic and prompted the readers empathy. The story is well told and was hard to put down.