How To Be Found

Michie, the novel’s narrator, is a 16-year old who lives in downtown Toronto, goes to school and hangs out with her friends. She is introverted, quiet and cautious due to lifelong heart problems. Her best friend, Trissa, is the polar opposite, a risk taker who apparently has no problems she can’t either solve or simply ignore. When Trissa goes missing, police assume she’s simply seeking adventure, perhaps by running away and getting involved with the wrong sort of people. Michie and Trissa’s other friends worry about the West End strangler who has been in the news after victimizing young women of their age in the local neighbourhood.

Michie seems quiet and nervous on the surface, but, when she determines that she must do all she can to find her friend, she digs deep and finds a strong will which surprises her. Michie feels alone in her quest. Her mom has been arrested, Trissa’s mom isn’t coping well and has been taken to hospital, and the police seem more interested in harassing Trissa’s family and friends than in searching for and finding the teen. Michie runs into unexpected complications along the way and realizes that she doesn’t know her friend nearly as well as she thought she did.

Emily Pohl-Weary gives her young adult readers a coming-of-age story, a romance and a mystery all in one. The characters are complicated and not stereotypical teens. The plot moves quickly as Michie checks all kinds of people and places in hopes of finding her friend. Pohl-Weary adds just enough red herrings to keep mystery fans guessing right up to the denouement. The relationship and eventual romance between Michie and Anwar is believable and adds to the character building. The two have been best of friends since childhood, and both have secretly wished for more while also seeing other people. Readers are happy to see them eventually form a relationship since they truly seem destined to be together, and it seems natural Anwar would help Michie in her search for her friend..

One of the main themes of the novel is the importance of choosing your family when the typical nuclear family simply doesn’t exist. Michie and Trissa have been brought up by single moms who do their best at parenting while dealing with problems of their own. Throughout the book, Michie refers to her best friend as her sister, showing the close-knit relationship they have always enjoyed.

Pohl-Weary touches on many other elements of modern society in this excellent novel. Readers see just how vulnerable young women are in a world of drugs and substance abuse, sex and sexual predators, and policing which is not only ineffective but often tips the scales toward harassment. It is no wonder that both mothers are activists who don’t fit society’s mold and are bringing up their daughters to also be strong, confident and self-sufficient.

How To Be Found is a shout-out to non-traditional families and friendships which add to the texture of society in ways that are perhaps unconventional but which improve the quality of life for us all.