Bibliography: Kling, Heidi. (2010). Sea. New York: Putnam Juvenile. ISBN: 9780399251634

Plot Summary:  Fifteen year old Sienna is being forced to face her fears by her father when he insists she accompany his disaster relief team to tsunami wracked Indonesia.  She hasn’t been on a plane or near the ocean since her mother died flying a plane over the ocean on a similar trip several years before.

Critical Analysis:  It always sounds a little strange to me when I say it, but one of the kinds of books I enjoy reading are those where a character is dealing with grief.  I don’t think that makes me morbid, because what I really mean is that I enjoy reading books that deal with the most raw and real human condition.

This book is overflowing with themes about being human and dealing with what life gives you.  While I can see the point of the Kirkus review, that from one perspective there is something almost demeaning, writing about a well off American relief team waltzing in for two weeks to save the day before leaving to go back their comfortable homes; I can also see the truth in this story, that tragic disastrous events, whether  small and personal or overwhelming and still personal, have a way of making everything more intense and immediate.  You can’t wait to be with the person you have feelings for both because you have already suffered so much loss and also because the next wave that comes might carry them away.

So for me, this is what Kling gets so right.  And that’s why Deni and Sienna both do stupid or dangerous things, they each see in the other something of what they feel.  I think that many teens and young adults have had similar experiences and will be moved by this book because it is so true to life in that way.

Readalikes: While reading this book, I was reminded of Thief Eyes by Janni Lee Simner.  Thief Eyes is also about a teenage girl traveling to a strange country while trying to come to terms with the loss of her mother and discovering romance and even a little danger.

Review Excerpts: “[C]aptures the innocence and heartbreak of first romance superbly in this tender love story….This page turner is evokes the harshness of disaster as well as the beauty of the young soul….Sure to be a hit with romance readers, this book is perfect to present as a summer beach read.”–VOYA

“Their relationship develops quickly and leads to actions and decisions that are ill-considered and dangerous—both in a Muslim culture and during a state of civil unrest. Sienna loses her fears much faster than one would expect, and her return home to a friendship that is evolving into a romance, so soon after she was in love with another boy whose life was filled with tragedy, makes her seem emotionally shallow. Teens who like relationship novels will overlook these flaws, but the book is definitely an additional purchase.”–School Library Journal

“Disaster tourism masquerading as romance….If only she can help Deni-and squeeze in a few secret alleyway makeout sessions-Sienna will be happy. Convenient resolution brings healing to Sienna and family to Deni, returning each to his and her God-given lot in life. Well-meaning, but ultimately about slumming in disaster zones for a summer’s recuperative fun.”–Kirkus Reviews

Reviewed from publisher provided advanced copy.  Amazon Affiliate: If you click from here to Amazon and buy something, I receive a percentage of the purchase price.