Local Girl Swept Away

March 14, 2016
Teenage best friends grapple with sudden loss in Wittlinger’s (Love & Lies) uneven coming-of-age tale. Jackie, Finn, Lucas, and Lorna have been close since fourth grade, when Lorna and her mother moved to Provincetown, Mass. On a stormy night in May of their junior year, Lorna, the group’s wild leader, is swept out to sea while they are walking on the breakwater. Narrator Jackie mourns but also spends an inexplicable amount of time trying to persuade others that her grief is as genuine as theirs. Lucas abruptly departs for camp in New Hampshire, leaving Jackie and Finn to mope around town, take long walks on the beach, and spar over who misses Lorna more (and whether to talk about her in the past or present tense). Jackie is drawn to Finn’s painter mother, Elsie, who encourages her dreams of attending art school, a plan Jackie’s parents don’t understand. Despite moments of true compassion and lovely descriptions of the Cape, Wittlinger doesn’t fully delve into the complexities of teenage friendship, pushing the story forward through predictable plot devices. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ginger Knowlton, Curtis Brown.

April 1, 2016
Lorna led her friendship quartet, so her death leaves her friends both grief-stricken and lacking independent identities. Lorna's bossy personality united mousy Jackie, rich-boy Finn, and utterly forgettable Lucas in elementary school. Adolescent sexual tension changed the group dynamics as Lorna and Finn fell in love, and predictably Jackie yearned for Finn while Lucas was besotted with Lorna. These existing fault lines grow after typically sure-footed Lorna tumbles into rough seas and presumably drowns. Then Lucas mysteriously leaves town, and Jackie and Finn find themselves growing closer--though he rejects her awkward romantic advances. Embarrassed, Jackie finds solace in the inappropriate attentions of a 30-year-old visiting artist, Cooper, whom readers will instantly identify as a sexual predator. Meanwhile, Jackie makes a disturbing discovery, and Lucas returns to share a dark secret, helping readers realize much more quickly than the dense trio that all may not be as it seems. What should be an unexpected twist is neither stunning nor believable, though the depth of the emotional manipulation behind it is surprising. Adding to the novel's overall unpleasantness is the sexual-predator storyline, which resolves with a whimper rather than the bang it deserves. Little enjoyment stems from witnessing the manipulation and bad decisions of these wishy-washy characters. (Fiction. 14-18)

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June 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-When Lorna Trovato falls off a breakwater during a storm and is swept out to sea, her three best friends feel that the worst has happened and their lives will never be the same. Yet Jackie Silva's summer looks promising. She has two jobs she loves, she's regaining a childhood friendship, and she's making plans to apply to art school. Her friend Finn's mother is an arts administrator who has taken Jackie under her wing. What's more, whenever Jackie crosses paths with Cooper Thorne, the attractive assistant director of the art gallery, sparks fly and an underlying attraction begins to bubble to the surface. But a series of surprises regarding Lorna and Cooper tear Jackie's life apart again. Elements of tragedy, mystery, romance, and self-discovery are woven together effectively and fleshed out with memorable imagery, including the descriptions of Cape Cod and the image of Lorna's white jacket. Although readers are unlikely to be surprised by the revelations about which of Jackie's friends are dishonest, the plot does contain a number of unexpected twists and turns. All of the primary characters are complex and well-developed, from Lorna, who isn't nearly as strong as she seems, to Jackie's mother, who tries to be supportive but doesn't understand Jackie's college aspirations and artistic endeavors. The first couple of chapters feel choppy, but the pace evens out quickly. VERDICT An enjoyable and thought-provoking read that is sure to appeal to many teens.-Magdalena Teske, Naperville Public Library, IL

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