Book Review — The Girl Who Broke the Sea

I haven’t posted a book review in awhile, and was inspired to by this moody and enchanting YA novel by A. Conners.

There was much I loved. The setting is unique and exciting — a deep sea rig that’s patched up like an old ship with plenty of duct tape. The euglenoids, an undiscovered and misunderstood microbial lifeform in the depths, are enchanting and mysterious. And most of all Lily’s character is strong and relatable.

Lily is a troubled sixteen-year-old who breaks things when she feels upset. She has plenty of reasons to feel unsettled at the beginning. Her Dad has recently moved out. Her best friend won’t speak to her because of Lily’s lashing out. Mum takes her to an isolated rig deep under the ocean for a ‘new start’. Lily starts off bumbling her first attempts at friendship with the other young people there.

The story has a quick pace. The setting alone brings tension to the plot — the fragile rig under miles of high-pressure, freezing water. The mystery of the euglenoids, and Lily’s secret understanding of them, made this a page-turner.

The technical details of the setting sometimes were lost on me. The positioning wasn’t clear to me. I got lost in terms of which compartment was where, and how the rig was put together. A map would have been very helpful. Certain scenes were confusing to me, in terms of where the characters were, how close to an exit they were, who they were with.

Overall, though, this was a unique and wonderful story. Lily’s journey from lashing out to trying to make things right is organic and heart-warming. I’d recommend this book, especially to those who don’t mind or even enjoy a lot of technical detail without the tendency to get lost in it. I do think Lily’s character is relatable and her vulnerability will speak to YA readers. As will her genuine change from breaking things in a helpless panic to trying to fix situations, using her intelligence for good.