While life on the beach is pretty great, with ocean views and one adorable lifeguard in particular, there are also family secrets that were buried along the shore years ago. And the ebb and flow of the ocean's tide means that nothing- not the sea glass that she collects on the sand and not the truths behind Anna's mother's death- stays buried forever. (From Goodreads)
This book itself is as much a treasure as sea glass is. Anna's life is pretty enviable, except for the fact that she's dealing with her mother's suicide. Still, the girl lives on the beach, spends her days running on the sand, swimming, tanning, watching hot life guards, and combing for sea glass. Sounds perfect to me. I love the way that these are all the things Anna lives for, what makes her whole, but at the same time the beach is filled with painful memories. That tension was enough to make this book beautiful.
My mom has a thing for beach combing. She doesn't look for sea glass, but she looks for lucky beans and heart beans. After some great memories of beach combing with my own mother, that connection that Anna has with her mom definitely struck a chord with me. The glass they find together become a symbol of where the memories of her mother come from and where the disappeared. From the sea, back to the sea. The ocean gives and it takes - so vast and mysterious it is its own world.
What really pulled my heart into this book was the way Jessi Kirby weaved in mermaid mythology. It was subtle, and came in through paintings or books. Or the way that Anna would imagine her mother as a mermaid. I especially loved the legend of the sea glass and the way that Anna and her mom made up their own story about moonglass. It added enough magic to breath new life into the story. It's a great example of how fantasy and mythology can be come a part of life. How stories and myths can be essentail and healing. It's a truth I live by and it was so lovely to see that coming into a great contemporary novel.
This book is a short snapshot of a moment in a girl's life. It's not enough to heal or move on, but it's enough to start. And Jessi Kirby made that moment as beautiful as possible. If this bok were a piece of sea glass I was lucky enough to find, it'd definitely make my permanent collection.
