With a dad in jail and a lack of teachers interested in helping him learn, Manny doesn't see the point in anything besides skateboarding and writing lyrics. Calvin has so many responsibilities to his father and little brothers that when his bike is stolen, he can't make it to school on time. And while Liam is studious and wants to become a doctor, he is tormented by bullies and hides out in an unused janitor's closet instead of going to class.

When the boys are thrown together in detention, they realise that they might still have a lot to learn-not just from their teachers but from each other. Absent tells the boys' stories in three distinct voices: Manny's in verse, Calvin's as a comic and Liam's as a prose journal. Rex Ogle explores school absenteeism in a compelling, entertaining and utterly distinct novel.