A masterful exploration of nature’s power to shake human foundations, literal and figurative.
The devastating superstorm arrives without warning at night, destroying the bridge connecting Haven, a New Jersey barrier island, to the mainland and isolating residents from one another; with her mother and fragile little brother on the other side, Mira Banul, 17, must cope alone.
Haven’s small, close-knit community is a world unto itself after summer vacationers leave. Mira attends a small alternative school with her friends Deni and Eva. The supportive island culture tolerates eccentrics like Old Carmen, a fisher and resident vagrant. The care and affection of neighbors and friends mitigate the effects of the rare disease crippling Mira’s brother. Now, without power or phone service, Mira’s alone in a cottage on stilts. Worse, someone’s been prowling around it. As wind and water invade her refuge, Mira forces herself to act, described deliberately in Kephart’s characteristically precise prose. She finds strength protecting what’s precious to her absent family: her brother’s collection of sands, her mother’s jewelry and art. She remembers to turn off the gas at the source. Caring for her rescued kitten comforts her through the long night. In the morning, she discovers the storm’s carried away the first floor of the cottage. Some islanders fare worse. She finds Deni, but Eva is missing. Then the prowler returns. Mira’s voice—lyrical yet gripping, specific yet universal—draws readers close to experience the storm and share her epiphanies.
A masterful exploration of nature’s power to shake human foundations, literal and figurative. (Fiction. 12-18)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-4284-5
Page Count: 264
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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