73 - The Visibles; Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard’s novel The Visibles: A Novel is the type of story I generally love. It is a bit of a coming of age novel about a girl from a dysfunctional family. The novel is about a young girl named Summer Davis whose mother has abandoned the family. If that isn’t tough enough for a young girl, there is also Summer’s father who suffers from mental illness and an older brother seemingly in denial of it all. The theme of family, loss, and how family background and situations affects each of us deeply is prevalent throughout this story.
A substitute teacher in Summer's Biology class gives a talk on DNA. He tell the class that DNA is all that matters: whether you are sick, smart, stupid, what you look like, how you think, everything about your past and everything about your future. He adds that you cannot escape your parents, and that you are tethered to them for life because of your DNA. While the rest of the class makes jokes about what the teacher has said, Summer becomes obsessed with the Biology teacher's lecture.
The Visibles: A Novel is told from the first person, Summer's perspective, and although I enjoyed the story, I had a bit of a problem relating to Summer's attitude in general. Although the story jumps around a bit, as it progresses clues are revealed that made me want to read more. The story reaffirmed how there are often questions left unanswered, pieces of our parents lives that we might never know that affects the person we are today. There was also some fascinating symbolism in this story, specifically about the Twin Towers before and after 9/11 and how it relates to Summer's life.
I was happy I decided to review this book for the Amazon Vine program. I thought this coming of age story was well done.
RATING - 4/5 - COMPLETED - 5/20/09
WHERE FROM - My Stacks