this broke me emotionally, but in a good way.

(and "broke me emotionally"is not, by any means, an exaggeration. this book had me collapsed, brokenly sobbing into a blanket to try and stifle the noise so as not to wake my family, because it was 2 in the morning. i cried most of the time i was reading it. read at your own risk) ( )

Loved this book. The writing is beautiful, profound, amazing. This is the way I wish all books were written. Can't explain it. You just need to read the book.

This is a complex story with many themes, but that's not a bad thing.

Death: Suzy's friend, Franny, dies in a drowning accident. Since she was a good swimmer, Suzy thinks maybe she was stung by a tiny jellyfish known as Irukandji. She becomes obsessed with learning about jellyfish and finds a researcher in Australia who she wants to meet because she thinks he is the only person who can understand her fascination with jellyfish.

Fitting in: Suzy is an odd duck. She is interested in things that other kids find strange. When the other girls are changing and becoming interested in boys, Suzy doesn't share their fascination.

Friendship: Suzy and Franny used to be best friends, but Franny is moving toward the popular crowd now that they are in middle school. In flashbacks, we learn about the events that led up to the final demise of the friendship.

Mental Health: After Franny dies, Suzy decides to stop talking, so her parents send her to a therapist, but the only person Suzy wants to talk to is the jellyfish expert.

No review I could write could do this book justice. It's pure poetry and I really hope this author writes another book. The closest book I can compare this one to would be [b: Counting by 7s|15937108|Counting by 7s|Holly Goldberg Sloan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1396225872s/15937108.jpg|19034797] by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

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