The Leaving

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of kidnapping, trauma, death, and child death.

Woof-Woof is a symbol of lost innocence in three crucial scenes in the novel. First, he appears in the story’s prologue, a scene from Avery’s four-year-old viewpoint that sets the stage for upcoming mystery elements while also serving as a plant for Avery’s late-novel identification of the principal as the tip line caller. In this scene, Avery notices the sadness in Woof-Woof’s eyes; this observation reflects her own emotions and foreshadows the long years of joylessness her family experiences during Max’s disappearance.

Avery rediscovers Woof-Woof when she questions the meaningfulness of her academic and extracurricular awards and mementos. Clutching Woof-Woof tearfully, she disposes of her countdown-to-college calendar and her school awards. In this scene, she holds onto the stuffed dog as it becomes a symbol of her futile attempt to hold onto childhood.

Finally, Avery places Woof-Woof on Max’s casket at his funeral service as an acknowledgment of the childhood Max did not get to have. This action symbolizes her coming of age and shows that she is ready for future growth. She is finally able to let go of Woof-Woof and move forward into her future after the closure of Max’s funeral.