Where Things Come Back

In the book "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley, the author addresses social issues by showing the effect it has on the characters. When Cullen's brother goes missing, the author does an incredible writing job by making Cullen show how he feels instead of directly saying how he feels. It makes me able to imply how Cullen may feel and what it might lead to next in the book.
One way shows the issue of his brother missing and the impact it has on Cullen is by showing the lack of energy Cullen starts having. For example one powerful quote that shows this is when he says "and she asks me the same question I've heard for the past few weeks, and I give her the same answer I gave everyone else." This shows how he's starting to sulk and get down about his brother's disparition and the author does a good job of implying that Cullen may be going through some kind of depression that could potentially continue on in the book.
Cullen also handles his issues in a teenager-like way. As most stereotypical people handle a depressing situation such sleeping through it, Cullen is the same way. The author described it as "never getting out of bed". This is a sign that because of Cullen's brother being missing, Cullen has given up hope. He wants to try to put this issue to the side and try not to think about by staying in bed and trying to sleep through it. That is Cullen's way of addressing an issue and confronting it.
In conclusion, the author does a spectacular job on describing how his characters confront and address issues. Cullen has a way of confronting the issue of his missing brother in a way that most people who are handling a very depressing case do. It may not be the most effective, but it's the way that he does it. This leads me to believe that further on in the story, Cullen might deal with some more depression.