Drawing the Ocean
by Carolyn MacCullough
Published by Roaring Brook Press
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Reviewed by Elysabeth Eldering
Sadie, a 16-year-old girl in a new town, has lost her twin brother due to an auto accident four years prior. Their father takes a job transfer from California to Boston, uprooting the family. Sadie is alone and scared, but her brother is still lingering. Because the loss of the child was so tragic for both parents, no one ever discussed their feelings about losing a child. Sadie and her parents all try to lead their own lives as best they can, never broaching the subject of death or losing Ollie.
When Sadie finds herself in an area where no one knows her, she tries very hard to be “normal” or to fit in with the A-crowd. Along the way, she makes friends with the cool group of girls and finds herself strangely attracted to the one guy in school who marches to the beat of a different drummer. Sadie has to deal with fitting in, keeping promises made to her brother and her attraction for the guy no one wants to be friends with.
Overall, the story is well written but it took until the end of the book to find out why the obsession with drawing the ocean and and why Sadie was constantly sitting on the beach trying to capture the colors of the ocean.
I didn’t like how Sadie’s brother appeared at the most appropriate or inappropriate times (in Sadie’s mind) to help her through her dilemmas, although the ending was sad and brought me to tears. There are many sad moments in Sadie’s life but they are balanced with the happy ones.
Armchair Interview says: A nice young adult about good days and bad days—and very bad days.