Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | Alexander | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Since her twin brother, Eddie, drowned five years ago, sixteen-year-old Elsie Main has tried to remember what really happened that fateful day on the beach. One minute Eddie was there, and the next he was gone. Seventeen-year-old Tay McKenzie is a cute and mysterious boy that Elsie meets in her favorite boathouse hangout. When Tay introduces Elsie to the world of freediving, she vows to find the answers she seeks at the bottom of the sea.
Author Notes
Sarah Alexander completed an MA in creative writing at Birkbeck College with distinction. She currently works in publishing in London.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up-Sixteen-year-old Elsie continues to be haunted by the day her twin brother, Eddie, drowned in the North Sea. She acts out by stealing, avoiding her parents, and neglecting her schoolwork. Her parents' dysfunctional marriage prevents them from seeing Elsie's anguish and older brother Dillon's anorexia. Elsie finds refuge at her secret hiding place near the shore, and here she meets Tay and his mates-all of whom participate in the sport of free diving. Elsie takes up the sport as well and discovers that she has the willpower to do the rigorous training exercises and the skill to dive deep. Being in the water seems to bring the day of Eddie's death into focus, and she puts together her fragmented memories. The novel takes twists and turns, and the author skillfully ties together the various characters and their part in Eddie's death, and readers will find comfort in the resolution of the mystery. Colleen Prendergast's narration brings the story to life. VERDICT Drugs, alcohol, sex, and a lack of adult supervision make this modern coming-of-age story best suited to mature teen listeners. ["The compelling plot, well-drawn characters, and page-turning conclusion will attract readers": SLJ 2/16 review of the HMH book.]-Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges, Mt. Carmel, IL © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Alexander debuts with a raw and sensitive novel about loss. During the five years since Elsie's twin brother, Eddie, drowned in the North Sea off Scotland's Black Isle, Elsie and her family have been doing everything they can to escape reality: Elsie's mother drinks, her father is never home, older brother Dillon develops an eating disorder, and Elsie isolates herself. Elsie also endlessly relives the day Eddie died, wondering what more she could have done, until she meets Tay McKenzie. He teaches Elsie to freedive (diving without a breathing apparatus), and Elsie begins to remember the "few black spots" of that day when she is underwater. The more Elsie recalls, the more she realizes that her family and friends have been hiding secrets. Alexander movingly traces the motions of family members trying to piece their lives back together while dealing with personal demons. Candidly written and balanced by notes of humor throughout, Elsie's journey to find the truth shows just how far she's willing to go to bring her family back from the depths of tragedy. Ages 14-up. Agent: Hellie Ogden, Janklow & Nesbit. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Since the death of her twin brother, Elsie's family has fallen apart. It's been five years since her twin, Eddie, disappeared beneath the waves in the North Sea off Scotland. His body was never found, and 16-year-old Elsie's family is crumbling. Her father seethes with rage and is absent most of the time; her mother has taken to drinking gin straight from the bottle; and her older brother, Dillon, has stopped eating. Elsie relentlessly relives the day of her brother's drowning, worrying the scab of guilt, but her memories are fragmented, and she struggles to make sense of the nebulous images that haunt her. Elsie's present-tense narration is raw and unflinching as she relates her story and unravels the twists in her recollection. Then she meets bad-boy Tay. He introduces her to pot, sex, and free diving: diving without oxygen. Elsie finds solace in holding her breath as she seeks to find answersand her twinin the cold, murky depths. As, bit by bit, clues emerge and Elsie dives deeper and longer, she realizes that it's not just her family that has been keeping corrosive secrets. Narrated in a crisp, unvarnished voice, Elsie's frightening and alluring tale shows that even while in the depths one can reach for light. In a breathtaking setting, this is a fresh and vivid take on the long-term effects of a child's death on a family. (Fiction. 12-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Sixteen-year-old Elsie's developmentally disabled twin brother, Eddie, drowned five years ago, on their birthday. The devastated family has dealt with the loss in different ways: the mother seeks comfort in alcohol; the father distances himself; Elsie's older brother, Dillon, immerses himself in school while developing anorexia; and Elsie keeps Eddie alive by imagining he is still speaking to her and interacting with her. Then Elsie meets charismatic free-diver Tay and begins to explore the world under the same waves that took her brother. Set in a tiny, rural seacoast town in Scotland, Alexander's debut uses the setting to excellent effect while spinning multiple levels of mystery within the many subplots. Of special note is the intriguing description of the silent undersea world. Here Elsie finds the courage to face her fears and break free of her family's dysfunction. Elsie herself is a sympathetic, believable protagonist whose unsentimental narrative voice documents her family's descent as they uncover the truth behind Eddie's death. The British slang will not deter American readers; it's all quite understandable in context.--Carton, Debbie Copyright 2016 Booklist