The Summer of Letting Go

December 23, 2013
Francesca Schnell goes by Frankie and has avoided the water ever since her brother drowned four years ago. But odd things are happening this summer: she thinks her father's having an affair; she has a guilty crush on her best friend's new boyfriend; and she's hired to look after a rambunctious four-year-old, also named Frankie, who loves the water. Not only does Frankie look like Francesca's brother, he also was born right around the time of his death, and she can't help wondering if the two events are somehow linked. It makes sense that a grieving Francesca would be sensitive to signs and portents, but Polisner (The Pull of Gravity) overemphasizes the coincidences, adding a distracting layer to an already plot-heavy book. No device is necessary to explain the bond between the two Frankies, and the mysticism risks overshadowing the real story: nearly-16-year-old Francesca's reentry into a wider life and the way it builds to a confrontation with the withdrawn but overprotective mother who seems to blame Francesca for her brother's death. Ages 12âup. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.