If You Were There

'It had me rapt. A compassionate and dogged work of journalism and memoir that will stay with me.' Maeve Higgins, author of Maeve in America 'I was blown away by this book's gentle wisdom and incredible research. You will love this amazing book.' Megan Nolan, author of Acts of Desperation 'A pilgrimage through the many heartlands of missing, told with the empathy of someone knows all too well the eternal loss of missing. One of those books you can't put down, gripped by the need to get to the end of the story, as is Garcia himself. A read-it-in-an-afternoon book with a surprising ending that stays with you long after you've turned the last page.' Jo Youle, CEO of Missing People 'This book is a fascinating insight into the complex layers of what it is to be missing and the deep reverberations felt by the families waiting for news. The author shines light on the myriad of issues that result in someone disappearing, with the compassion and empathy of someone with true lived experience.' Kirsty Hillman, Lost Contact supervisor at Missing People 'This is a beautiful exploration of unresolved grief, and the power and tenacity of those the missing leave behind.' New Statesman 'The experience of reading If You Were There is like standing on a beach witnessing the tide pull in and out around you, the landscape forever oscillating between a close, intimate environment and a wide expanse, peopled, on this occasion, with swathes of the missing...' Guardian, Book of the Day