Copyright Date:
2023
Edition Date:
2023
Release Date:
08/01/23
Pages:
246 pages
ISBN:
1-639-93101-5
ISBN 13:
978-1-639-93101-9
Dewey:
Fic
LCCN:
2022060039
Dimensions:
23 cm
Language:
English
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews
Five students from the same Massachusetts high school struggle with difficult life experiences as one of them prepares to return to school following a suicide attempt.In a diary her therapist suggested she keep, 17-year-old Addison begins the rotation of the narrative in first-person epistolary format, striking a weary tone laced with sarcastic humor. Also lending their voices in the third person are Booker, Damion, Avery, and Celia, students who all know-or at least know of-Addison. Booker is close to Addison, a friend or maybe more, but she's been avoiding him. This, plus his cousin's serious illness, weighs heavily on him. Meanwhile, Damion's image as a minor social media star obscures a tragic family secret, and while everyone knows that Avery's brother was recently arrested for drug dealing, most don't suspect that quiet, reserved Celia is dealing with abuse at home. Many realistic issues are explored, and while readers will feel empathy for each of these characters, the overarching themes of interconnectedness and how people can affect others in ways of which they are not always aware are a bit heavy-handed in their portrayals. Addison, Damion, Avery, and Celia are White; Booker is Black, and there is racial diversity among secondary characters.A story at times poignant but at others too conscious of its own hopeful messaging. (Fiction. 13-18)
Journal entry: Heading to school. I know what everyone will say. There goes the girl who tried to kill herself.
Addison is no stranger to feeling stressed, insecure, and sad. Her therapist recommended she keep a journal to help her understand those feelings better, which she really needs today. It’s her first day back to school, several weeks after she survived her suicide attempt. She knows there are rumors about why she did it: A lousy home life? Bullying? Heartbreak? None of them are true, but it doesn’t matter because Addison still feels like she’s drowning. She still holds secrets she’s not ready to share.
During the school day, Addison encounters four other students struggling with their own secrets:
Booker is anxious about seeing Addison. They were sort of a couple until he tried to kiss her. She fled and then tried to end her life. Those two things couldn’t be related, could they?
Celia feels trapped by her mother’s abusive boyfriend. She can guess why Addison did what she did.
Damion is TikTok-famous and thinks befriending Addison could boost his followers. But what no one knows is he needs the world to remember him since his sick mom doesn’t anymore.
Avery is considered a loner and doesn’t know Addison, but they have neighboring lockers. With Avery’s older brother in jail for dealing drugs, Avery is desperate for meaningful human connection.
Swimming in a Sea of Stars is a poignant and gripping novel about how we're all interconnected, like the stars in the night sky that form constellations and map out the universe, and if even one star goes missing, the effect is profound.
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