(image and summary from goodreads)
Summary:
From Jessi Kirby, a debut novel about confronting the past in order to move ahead.
I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.
Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.
I read once that water is a symbol for emotions. And for a while now, I've thought maybe my mother drowned in both.
Anna's life is upended when her father accepts a job transfer the summer before her junior year. It's bad enough that she has to leave her friends and her life behind, but her dad is moving them to the beach where her parents first met and fell in love- a place awash in memories that Anna would just as soon leave under the surface.
While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever.
My thoughts:
This was a lovely little debut novel. I say little because it was shorter than what I would've liked, but having said that, I am glad the author didn't add on unnecessary parts just to lengthen the story.
In Moonglass, we view life through the eyes of Anna, a girl who is packing up and moving (with her father) to the place where her parents first met. From the onset, we get the idea that Anna has never quite got over her mother's suicide (while this word is never used, this fact is no spoiler; there is constant mention of Anna's mother walking into the sea and not coming back). While she has been living on the same stretch of beach that her mother walked last, the idea of moving to a place where her parents were happier is not something Anna is looking forward to. Throw in a new school with unfamiliar faces and a host of young lifeguards who while appealing, have been given strict instructions to stay away from her, seeing as how her dad is their boss, and you all but feel Anna's loneliness and insecurity. Of course, if that were the case, we wouldn't have a story, would we?
Firstly, what I wouldn't give to have the view Anna does...walking distance from the beach , lulled to sleep by the sound of waves crashing on the shore...it does seem like its own form of paradise. Secondly, I always like stories where the supporting characters have stories of their own and don't just function to make our MC look like less of a loner. This is the case with Jillian, who starts out as a prospective rival, and ends up in quite a contrasting role. My regrets are that Ashley and especially Tyler were not given enough time to stand out, as their presence did have a big impact on the story, and helped us connect nore with Anna's less sullen side.
Now, off to find a copy of Ms Kirby's sophomore novel, In Honor, which I put on my to-read list even before reading Moonglass!
In Moonglass, we view life through the eyes of Anna, a girl who is packing up and moving (with her father) to the place where her parents first met. From the onset, we get the idea that Anna has never quite got over her mother's suicide (while this word is never used, this fact is no spoiler; there is constant mention of Anna's mother walking into the sea and not coming back). While she has been living on the same stretch of beach that her mother walked last, the idea of moving to a place where her parents were happier is not something Anna is looking forward to. Throw in a new school with unfamiliar faces and a host of young lifeguards who while appealing, have been given strict instructions to stay away from her, seeing as how her dad is their boss, and you all but feel Anna's loneliness and insecurity. Of course, if that were the case, we wouldn't have a story, would we?
Firstly, what I wouldn't give to have the view Anna does...walking distance from the beach , lulled to sleep by the sound of waves crashing on the shore...it does seem like its own form of paradise. Secondly, I always like stories where the supporting characters have stories of their own and don't just function to make our MC look like less of a loner. This is the case with Jillian, who starts out as a prospective rival, and ends up in quite a contrasting role. My regrets are that Ashley and especially Tyler were not given enough time to stand out, as their presence did have a big impact on the story, and helped us connect nore with Anna's less sullen side.
Now, off to find a copy of Ms Kirby's sophomore novel, In Honor, which I put on my to-read list even before reading Moonglass!
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