
Reach for this book when your teenager is struggling with the aftermath of a sudden family tragedy and seems to be withdrawing into anger or creative paralysis. It is a profound exploration of a sister's grief, following Rumi as she is sent to Hawaii to live with her aunt after her younger sister dies in a car accident. The story moves beyond simple sadness, delving into the messy reality of feeling abandoned by a grieving parent and the frustration of losing the one person who shared your passion. This novel is best suited for mature teens (13 and up) due to its heavy emotional weight and honest depiction of depression and guilt. Parents will appreciate how it validates that healing is not linear and that it is okay to feel angry at the person you lost. It provides a helpful roadmap for discussing how art and community can slowly help a person reconnect with the world when they feel most isolated.
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Sign in to write a reviewExplores deep depression, survivor's guilt, and the temporary abandonment of a child by a parent.
Occasional mild profanity consistent with contemporary young adult fiction.
The book deals directly and intensely with the death of a child and the resulting fractured family dynamics. The approach is secular and deeply realistic. It does not offer easy answers or a magical recovery; instead, the resolution is hopeful but grounded in the reality that grief is a lifelong journey.
A high schooler who feels 'stuck' in their grief and is frustrated by people telling them to move on. It is perfect for the artistic child who uses music or writing to process their world.
Parents should be aware of the depiction of the mother-daughter relationship, which is strained and involves a period of physical and emotional separation. It is a raw look at how grief can make a parent temporarily unavailable. A parent might see their child stop practicing a beloved instrument, lash out at the remaining family members, or express feeling 'abandoned' by a parent who is also grieving.
Younger teens will focus on the loss of the sibling and the 'coming of age' elements in Hawaii. Older teens will more deeply grasp the nuances of identity, asexuality, and the complex layers of parental abandonment.
Unlike many grief novels that focus on the 'sadness' of loss, this book focuses on the 'anger' and the loss of a shared creative language. It also beautifully weaves in Japanese-American and Hawaiian cultural contexts and a sensitive exploration of aromantic and asexual identity.
Rumi Seto's life revolved around writing music with her younger sister, Lea. When Lea is killed in a car accident, Rumi doesn't just lose a sibling; she loses her creative partner and her sense of self. Her mother, unable to cope with her own grief, sends Rumi to Hawaii to live with her Aunt Ani. There, Rumi struggles with 'musical blocks,' intense anger toward her mother, and the heavy burden of survivor's guilt. Through new friendships and the healing landscape of Hawaii, she begins to navigate a world without Lea.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.