And then Carly meets Ryan, a local at the break, fresh out of jail. When Ryan learns the truth, Carly has to decide. Will she let the past bury her? Or can she let go of her anger and shame, and find the courage to be happy? (From Goodreads)
I've seen a few bloggers rave about this book, so when it was published in the UK and available through Book Depository I didn't hesitate to order it. Not gonna lie, Blue Crush is a total guilty pleasure, so I was excited to read about a girl who surfs. I mean, Raw Blue is absolutely nothing like Blue Crush, but the surfing part was still pretty great.
This book is actually pretty dark. The entire story is about Carly dealing with the aftermath of rape. Surfing is what keeps her sane and grounded, but it's through surfing that she meets people who give her ties to life. The characters make this book worth reading. Ryan is pretty great. Then there's the boy she meets who registers people and emotions as colors. He was such a fascinating part of this book. I kind of wish he would have spent more time on the page.
I'm a little torn, though, about how I feel about how the storyline progressed. I didn't feel like Carly's character grew very much, if at all. She stays pretty stagnant, even though things happen to her and she tries to open up to people, by the end it doesn't feel like she's moved very far. As a reader, this was frustrating because you kind of want to push her along. On the other hand, I do have to appreciate that this is very true to life. You can't just meet some people and find yourself completely healed from physical and emotional trauma. Healing is slow and gradual, so in that sense, the storyline makes complete sense.
I did really like this book, but in this case I think I went in with too many expectations. It didn't live up to what I was hoping for. Still it's good, it's worth reading and I do think this is an important story. Plus, it's always great to read the amazing literature that's coming out of Australia right now.
