Reviewed by Mark Frye, author and reviewer for TeensReadToo.com
Carol Plum-Ucci has established a niche for her mysteries by blending realism and the unexplained. Following upon the success of THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED and WHAT HAPPENED TO LANI GARVER?, the author penned a credible tale that is part problem novel and part supernatural thriller. THE SHE takes the reader to familiar territory in young adult fiction--death, drug abuse, rebellion against authority, and dysfunctional families--while also presenting a haunting overtone that prevails from the first page to the last.
As a child, Evan overheard his parents' death at sea from the radio in their bedroom and continues to struggle with the circumstances that claimed their lives over ten years later. Were they drug smugglers who faked their death only to escape the authorities? Or were they the victim of a legendary sea monster rumored to have caused many shipwrecks along the neighboring shores?
As he struggles to find the truth, he is joined by an unlikely female ally, a mentally-unstable "wild child" named Grey. Evan distrusts her initially due to their "bad history," but mutual sympathy and affection grows as they realize they both need to discover the truth about the local legendary sea monster, known only as "The She."
As in her earlier novels, Plum-Ucci presents likeable anti-heroes as her main characters. Evan is popular at school but rebellious; Grey is infamous and feared, a practitioner of cruel jokes. They are the kind of characters one is drawn to, despite parental wishes. As their own tangled pasts are unwound, they grow more and more sympathetic to each other and the reader.
Another subplot is Evan's relationship with his brother, a source of tension in his life. The brothers ongoing debate about their parents disappearance represents the dichotomy of rationality/skepticism vs. curiosity/faith; the reader will identify with both sides of this "coin." We are drawn to believe in myths and legends, but steeped well enough in the 21st-century to want a rational explanation for the unexplained. Each of them is forced to confront the other's point of view at critical junctures of the story, leaving the reader in suspense. Is there a sea monster? Or is there a rational explanation for their parents' disappearance?
This tension remains to the very end of the novel, making it an enjoyable page-turner. It comes highly recommended.
Carol Plum-Ucci has established a niche for her mysteries by blending realism and the unexplained. Following upon the success of THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED and WHAT HAPPENED TO LANI GARVER?, the author penned a credible tale that is part problem novel and part supernatural thriller. THE SHE takes the reader to familiar territory in young adult fiction--death, drug abuse, rebellion against authority, and dysfunctional families--while also presenting a haunting overtone that prevails from the first page to the last.
As a child, Evan overheard his parents' death at sea from the radio in their bedroom and continues to struggle with the circumstances that claimed their lives over ten years later. Were they drug smugglers who faked their death only to escape the authorities? Or were they the victim of a legendary sea monster rumored to have caused many shipwrecks along the neighboring shores?
As he struggles to find the truth, he is joined by an unlikely female ally, a mentally-unstable "wild child" named Grey. Evan distrusts her initially due to their "bad history," but mutual sympathy and affection grows as they realize they both need to discover the truth about the local legendary sea monster, known only as "The She."
As in her earlier novels, Plum-Ucci presents likeable anti-heroes as her main characters. Evan is popular at school but rebellious; Grey is infamous and feared, a practitioner of cruel jokes. They are the kind of characters one is drawn to, despite parental wishes. As their own tangled pasts are unwound, they grow more and more sympathetic to each other and the reader.
Another subplot is Evan's relationship with his brother, a source of tension in his life. The brothers ongoing debate about their parents disappearance represents the dichotomy of rationality/skepticism vs. curiosity/faith; the reader will identify with both sides of this "coin." We are drawn to believe in myths and legends, but steeped well enough in the 21st-century to want a rational explanation for the unexplained. Each of them is forced to confront the other's point of view at critical junctures of the story, leaving the reader in suspense. Is there a sea monster? Or is there a rational explanation for their parents' disappearance?
This tension remains to the very end of the novel, making it an enjoyable page-turner. It comes highly recommended.
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