The Boy on the Bus - by Deborah Schupack (Paperback)

About the Book

With the precision of a literary wordsmith and the deftness of a psychological thriller writer, Schupack has crafted an extraordinary tale of a mother's love for her son, and a mystery that may ultimately rip them apart.

Book Synopsis

Meg Landry expected it to be a day like any other -- her asthmatic eight-year-old son would step off the bus, home from school. But on this day, the boy on the bus doesn't seem to be Meg's son. Though he shares Charlie's copper hair, tea-brown eyes, and slight frame, there is something profoundly, if indefinably, different about him. In the wake of Meg's quiet alarm, her far-flung family returns home, and unease sets in. Neither Charlie's father nor Charlie's rebellious teenage sister can help Meg settle the question of the boy. They look to her for certainty -- after all, shouldn't a mother know her own child?
Deborah Schupack has crafted an extraordinary tale of a mother's love for her son and the mystery that may ultimately rip them apart. Tense and atmospheric, this debut offers a rare combination of intellectual sophistication and gripping suspense.

Review Quotes

Boston Herald Schupack snares readers in a disturbing book that's bound to make us ask questions not just about this mysterious situation, but about love and loss and the limits we all face in thoroughly knowing our children.

Entertainment Weekly Schupack's debut novel is at once familiar and eerie...a chillingly twisty psychological drama about love and need.

The New York Times Book Review Deborah Schupack's strange, unsettling, lyrical novel defies simple paraphrase....From beginning to end, nothing is ordinary, while at the same time everything is.

James Patterson Author of The Big Bad Wolf This is my favorite book this year -- an incredible page-turning idea, written with grace, style, and deep, true emotion.

About the Author

Deborah Schupack has taught writing and literature at Vermont College, The New School, and Yale University. Her articles and short fiction have appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Gettysburg Review, and Fiction. She lives in New York City.