Bodies of Water

Bodies of Water

“You think you know what you are seeing when you look at something, like a picture, or a landscape, or a person. Then you learn one new truth, and nothing you thought you saw or knew, means the same." For Anna Heath, it is the facts of her own life that come into question, and she finds herself searching through the heat of her sixteenth summer for answers about her past. A month before her sixteenth birthday, a disbelieving Anna watches her older sister Laura die, the victim of an auto accident. Now, not only must Anna deal with her grief at the death of the practical, organized, and much-loved sister who raised her, but she soon finds she must also solve a mystery surrounding them both, which begins to surface shortly after Laura's death. Winding through the vivid dreams she has always lived with, she follows clues that take her back to the town where a catastrophic flood set her and her sister on a journey that Anna must understand to discover who she is. Plunge into the depths with Anna as she unlocks the secrets that lie within. Let the waves of “Bodies of Water” carry you on an extraordinary and moving journey. Grab your copy now and embark on an extraordinary literary journey that will leave you breathless. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A thoughtful coming-of-age story that takes unexpected turns. Harrison's YA novel, set in 1980s California, tells the tale of a young girl facing her grief over losing her beloved sister. Anna Heath is nearly 16 when her 28-year-old sister, Laura, dies unexpectedly. The aftermath of such a loss would be tough for any sibling, but Laura, who married a man named Steven, cared for Anna like a mother after their parents' deaths in a flood more than a decade ago. After Laura's death, Anna leaned on a couple friends, Jack and Tessa, with whom she spends time. One of Laura's friends, Kim Sanders, becomes Anna's ally in her investigation into a secret of Laura's that involves the place their parents died: Riverwood, New York. Anna has vivid dreams, and she can sense their approach: "The flickering light seemed brighter and brighter, and I leaned back and threw my arm across my eyes. A dream was coming." As Harrison develops the story, the dreams start to show significant connections to Anna's past and Laura's secret. The italicized dream descriptions, written in the third person, are followed by an informative note from Laura written in bold; in the first note, for example, readers learn of a woman named Christine, who plays a critical role in the story. Kim also reveals that Laura had planned a trip to Riverwood for Anna's birthday; Anna finds the plane tickets and asks Kim to accompany her on her journey. Overall, this is an intriguing novel in which the quest narrative delivers an intriguing story that deeply explores questions of identity. In Riverwood, the narrative offers readers a twist that effectively allows the protagonist to move forward in her life without Laura; she thinks back on her sister's words of wisdom, which have a long history: "You are who you think you are, so always think of yourself at your very finest." A thoughtful coming-of-age story that takes unexpected turns. *KIRKUS INDIE "Verdict: Get it" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The novel is set in 1985, with some passages from 1975.  Their search does not include use of the internet, and there are a few other details that give a sense of the time period.  It is told in first person narrative through Anna's eyes, with the exception of her dreams, which are in third person, and some journal excerpts, a letter, and a statement in Laura's voice.    Anna is a girl with a sharp wit and a quick mouth, and has an adolescent's need to be dealt with honestly, and an adolescent's impatience with adult hypocrisy.  The heightened senses which foreshadow her dreams are only an exaggeration of her always acute way of experiencing the world. The novel does not end on a note of complete resolution. Anna does find what she is looking for, but she is going to be some time fully comprehending the truth that she so tenaciously sought. She must reconsider her past in a new light, and try to understand what has been true and what has been false. What has ever been real? The moral dilemma posed by Laura's secret and its ultimate implications for Anna serves as a catalyst for thought and discussion by readers facing their own issues of identity, autonomy, and choice. After the sudden death of the sister who has raised her, Anna spends the summer of her sixteenth birthday solving a mystery about her own past. Winding through the vivid dreams she has always lived with, she follows clues that take her back to the town where a catastrophic flood set her and her sister on a journey that Anna must understand to discover who she is. Claire Baldwin Harrison has been an Army nurse, Video producer, nonprofit Founder, and Librarian. She enjoyed all of those worlds, but found her true calling as a public middle school English teacher, where she loved matching readers with bo