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Summary
Summary
Morgan didn't mean to do anything wrong that day. Actually, she meant to do something right . But her kind act inadvertently played a role in a deadly tragedy. In order to move on, Morgan must learn to forgive--first someone who did something that might be unforgivable, and then, herself. But Morgan can't move on. She can't even move beyond the front door of the apartment she shares with her mother and little brother. Morgan feels like she's underwater, unable to surface. Unable to see her friends. Unable to go to school. When it seems Morgan can't hold her breath any longer, a new boy moves in next door. Evan reminds her of the salty ocean air and the rush she used to get from swimming. He might be just what she needs to help her reconnect with the world outside. Underwater is a powerful, hopeful debut novel about redemption, recovery, and finding the strength it takes to face your past and move on.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-Morgan was a carefree teenager, a talented swimmer with a nice group of friends and the occasional boyfriend, too. But Morgan was also in crisis because of her father's post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism. What's more, a mass shooting at Morgan's high school further disrupted her life, with her own memories of that day haunting her and the aftermath. The school closed down, and her friends changed schools and moved away, making her feel vulnerable and alone. Even worse, Morgan may have inadvertently helped the shooter get to school that fateful morning. At some point, Morgan realized she didn't want to leave the house anymore, and then one day she just couldn't. It isn't until Evan, whose cousin was killed in the shooting, moves into the apartment next door that the protagonist begins to want to enter the real world again. Part problem novel, part romance, Reichardt's debut never becomes melodramatic, even when there is plenty of drama. The main character's emotional growth and healing, her work with her psychologist, and even her changing role in her unusual family dynamics never feel contrived. VERDICT Readers will enjoy the emotional balance Reichardt gives to the high stakes conflicts in a teen's life.-Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Life goes on, even after a tragedy, something 17-year-old Morgan finds difficult to accept. While her friends have returned to school after a shooting that left students and teachers dead, Morgan, once a competitive swimmer and popular straight-A student, won't leave the small apartment she shares with her mother and brother. Morgan's therapist is trying to get her to take baby steps into the outside world, but the big impetus comes when a handsome boy moves in next door. Debut author Reichardt doesn't oversimplify: Morgan isn't saved by love; rather, new neighbor Evan reminds her of life and what it's like to have a friend. His surfer good looks don't hurt, but what really matters is their shared love of the water and his kindness to both Morgan and her younger brother. Morgan's ability to face her past and future ebbs and flows, making her struggles entirely believable. As Evan, who has his own connection to the shooting, tells her, what he likes about Morgan is that she's real, and that's exactly what readers will appreciate about this book. Ages 12-up. Agent: Kate Schafer Testerman, KT Literary. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Confined to her apartment for four months by crippling panic attacks, Morgan tries to recuperate from the school shooting she witnessed, but her fear of the world's unpredictable dangers hampers her efforts. Morgan seems to embrace the safety of her isolated apartment routine: online classes, the same lunch every single day, and TV until her mother and brother return home in the evenings. Still, when prompted by her psychologist, Brenda, to describe what summer means to her, Morgan immediately conjures an evocative list of sensationsfrom "crisp ocean water" to "bonfire smoke" and "cold beer and warm kisses"illustrating how deeply she still desires the outside world. Morgan's entrapment powerfully illustrates how, left unchecked, fear and trauma can eventually dictate a person's behaviors. But Morgan's mother, brother, Brenda, and her new neighbor Evan all offer equally compelling support that helps Morgan understand how continuously embracing small positive changeseven just a few steps outside of the apartment doorwill eventually lead her to a perspective in which she has been changed by her traumatic experiences but is no longer controlled by them. Subplots involving a potential romance and her father's PTSD aren't strictly necessary, but they also don't detract much from the intensely personal truths of Morgan's growing understanding of her own recovery. A moving, reflective exploration of grief, trauma, and how individuals find their paths toward resilience. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Morgan hasn't left her apartment in months, not since the terrible thing. She takes online classes, receives house calls from her therapist, gazes at the pool in her apartment complex, and tries to avoid succumbing to crushing panic. When cute Evan moves in next door, however, Morgan starts to consider stepping outside. As she is slowly enticed out of her door by her understanding therapist, she finds not only her own resilience but also that she is not as alone as she thought. In Morgan's swirling first-person narrative, readers get a glimpse of her complex inner life, from the guilt she is hiding, to her ache for her old life, to her worry that she will turn out just like her father, a war veteran so tortured by PTSD that he can't get help. Debut author Reichardt smartly reveals the source of Morgan's agoraphobia a school shooting very gradually, which, along with the sweet romance with Evan, urges the plot forward. Though Morgan's inner monologue occasionally drags, her story of growth and redemption will be rewarding for readers who love character-driven novels.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2015 Booklist