Corey Egbert grew up believing his mother wanted the best for him and his sister, Sarah. After suspecting their father of molesting Sarah, she divorced him immediately and moved their family to Lehi, a small town in Utah with Mormon roots. There, Corey dutifully attends seminary and protects his sister, while his mother urges him not to speak to his father, even during visitations.
In his new home, Corey encounters a variety of responses to his Mormon faith, from people who ridicule him, to those who are themselves devout followers. As a preteen in a school where other students are openly curious about sex, smoking and other taboos, Corey comes across thoughts and ideas beyond his sheltered upbringing. It’s hard not to sympathize: Corey is a young boy who wants new friends, is curious about romance and isn’t exactly sure how faith works.
At the beginning of the story, Corey is anchored by his unwavering trust in his mother. When his father reveals during one visitation that Corey’s maternal grandmother—whose letters Corey’s mother has been throwing away for years—has died, Corey struggles with understanding the loss, while his mother begins to further isolate the children. Is Corey’s mother faithfully protective, or is she oppressive and self-righteous? Is his father wrongfully accused of crimes he didn’t commit, or is he a deceitful predator? As Corey learns more about his family and compares their beliefs with his own expanding worldview, he must ultimately decide what he believes himself.
Visitations is a haunting, complex memoir about religion, mental illness and broken families, told through the eyes of a young boy as he sorts through what’s true and what isn’t—a task that’s incredibly difficult for a child. The book’s illustrations are beautifully simple, highlighting the vastness and complexity of the questions the story asks readers to consider. How do we know who to trust? Why do bad things happen? And what does it really mean to do the right thing?
