Praise for Last Seen

“A brooding, lyrical story about the preciousness of life brought to us by the voices of the dead… Castellani creates a poignant reflection on love and loss in the stories of his lost boys — and the people they’ve left behind.” Kirkus

“Ambitious in concept and executed with amazing skill, Last Seen is a novel about lost souls. Four young men who never knew each other find community in the afterlife as they try to make sense of their lives and deaths. Their lives ended in icy rivers miles apart. Was there some connection among them? They patiently tell their stories, reliving the pain of addiction, obsession, and love. They agonizingly observe and try to communicate with their living loved ones. A heartbreaking work of literary fiction that should be Castellani’s breakout book.” Stan Hynds, Northshire Bookstore

“Last Seen is something very different for author Christopher Castellani — a literary mystery about four young men, all killed and dumped in rivers, who observe the world after their deaths. They observe the people they loved, their families, and the police as investigations — both the police and amateur sleuths — proceed. It’s not so much a thriller, but an examination of young men today — their problems, their loneliness, and their desperation as they try to fit a predetermined destiny mapped out by a promise from America. Over decades they watch and observe and try to sort their deaths out. It’s very Lovely Bones meets God of the Woods, and it works beautifully.” William Carl, An Unlikely Story Bookstore

“Four boys lost in different years, in different parts of the country, and later found in different rivers. Are they part of a network? Is this a conspiracy? Maybe they’re the trophies of a single serial killer? Read on—and read quickly—to find out. This literary thriller feels like God of the Woods if the missing boy could talk. And it’s just that good.” Laurel Rhame, Phoenix Books

“Christopher Castellani is a master of portraying love and longing, and his latest novel may be his finest yet. Deftly interweaving the stories of four doomed young men—and those they leave behind—Last Seen explores our changing notions of masculinity and the ways grief can both make and unmake us. A morally complex and life-affirming exploration of what it means to be alive, and of the enduring power of love to transform, reanimate, and redeem.” Celeste Ng, New York Times-bestselling author of Our Missing Hearts

“Last Seen is a masterful novel: a ghost story, an elegy, a love letter to young men who go missing without a trace. Christopher Castellani writes beautifully about painful things—murder,loss, despair—and yet, by the end, my heart felt full of revelation and tenderness.” Victor LaValle, author of Lone Women

“A brilliant mystery and a haunting meditation on human experience—its echoes through the hearts of those caught in the currents of love and loss. Castellani’s latest is a richly detailed, deeply moving mosaic of voices brought to life by masterful prose.” Mona Awad, New York Times bestselling author of We Love You, Bunny

“A brutal and luminous novel. Christopher Castellani delves into the turbulent waters of one of American society’s most misunderstood characters: the troubled young male. Last Seen begins in death—boys mysteriously found in rivers—but in unraveling the mysteries of their fate, Castellani creates a mesmerizing panorama of young lives on the brink. This novel haunted me with its clarity and rage. Enter at your own risk.” Christopher Bollen, author of Havoc

“In stunning prose filled with acute observations about the relationships that save us, Christopher Castellani has skillfully dramatized the voices of four young men connected by one unforgettable love. Last Seen is a deeply moving novel that reveals how the bonds between the living and the dead continue forever. Its characters are now part of my soul.” Marjan Kamali, New York Times bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran

“A riveting thriller of unparalleled heart. At once a murder mystery of dead young men and a kaleidoscope of beautifully felt humanity, Christopher Castellani’s Last Seen is a virtuosic performance by a brilliant storyteller: smooth, incandescent, and devastating. When Castellani trains his precisely observant eye on each of the young men who died, they shimmer to life, and the resulting crescendo cracks open the heart. I gulped this book down.” Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body