The Easy Part of Impossible

February 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-High school senior Ria has long needed a modified schedule, and this novel follows her struggles with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and the low self-esteem it causes. She is a skilled diver, but her coach, Benny, is physically and emotionally abusive, and won't let Ria rejoin the team after she quits during a volatile moment. When a new school year begins, Ria reconnects with her childhood friend Cotton, who also has a modified schedule. Cotton is also neurodiverse and has suffered his own trials. His sister went missing years ago, and he is reluctant to attend college until she returns. As Ria develops feelings for Cotton, she gets what she's hoped for: Benny reappears, saying she could qualify for a prestigious team. Fear is a major part of Ria's story-diving always contains an element of fear, and though she fears Benny's abuse, she believes that "pain is part of the process" and that no one is as invested in her as Benny. Both Ria and Cotton face internalized fears to confront Benny and physical obstacles. Told in third-person from Ria's point of view, Tomp's novel is compulsively readable and skillfully conveys the thoughts and feelings of her neurodivergent characters. Secondary characters are all distinct with well-defined motives, and the romance between Cotton and Ria pans out in a way that feels true to their characters. The buildup to the climax is compelling, and the story wraps up beautifully. VERDICT A great fit for mid-size to large young adult collections.-Liz Anderson, District of Columbia Public Library

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2020
How do you stand up to abuse from the person who's always encouraged you to be your best? Ria is a diver. She's spent years honing her technique with her longtime coach, Benny, but when she has to withdraw from a critical competition, Benny pulls her from the team. Now, at the start of her senior year and with no contingency plan, Ria feels like she has nothing. Aimless in her Virginia town, she literally runs into childhood friend Cotton, who introduces her to his passion--mapping unexplored local caves. The two already have a shared history from their elementary school special education classes; Ria has ADHD while Cotton shows autistic behaviors and has trauma from the long-ago, unresolved disappearance of his little sister. Their mutual romance is sweet, complicated, painful, and honest--like any other. Ria knows fear from diving, but she must come to terms with Benny's abuse and find the strength to overcome this other fear. The text explores this sensitively, revealing the way student athletes can feel as if they belong to their coaches as well as the way victims can become trapped by abusers. Readers hear a lot about Benny, but the scenes in which he and Ria are together are scarce, making their relationship more implied than realized until later in the story. Whiteness is assumed as the norm for the cast. Dives into difficult, legitimate issues with great form. (Fiction. 14-19)

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