Missing May By Cynthia Rylant

Missing May is another Newberry Award book by Cynthia Rylant. Like many of her other stories such as Van Gogh Cafe, the story was beautifully written but for me there was something lacking. I felt the novel ended somewhat abruptly and for me there wasn't the character resolution for Ob that I wanted. The book left me saying to myself, "Is that it?"
Missing May is driven by the theme of grief and the grieving process. When Summer and Ob lost May all they wanted to do was "hold onto each other and wail in the trailer for days and days." But, "there are certain ways people expect you to grieve." I remember when my mother died. I was just graduating from college. I was horrified to learn that after the funeral we were suppose to entertain everyone who had come to funeral at our house afterwards. I remember thinking to myself when do I get to grieve.
Initially, Summer and Ob cannot accept May's death. Both of them in their own ways were in a state of denial after May's death. Ob believe he felt her presence and that she was still with them.
It was only after their return from Putnam county that Summer was able to finally cry or grieve. "Her body emptied of those tears and [she] was [no longer] burdened"
But with Ob we never know for sure if he has gained acceptance of May's death or resolution.