Horn Book Review
Lucys mother died researching sharks when Lucy was young. Now she and her dad get by just fine on their own, especially with the constant presence of Lucys neighbor and best friend, Fred. Lucy and Fred are interested in the great white sharks that have been showing up in the waters near their Rockport, Massachusetts, home. In the midst of their summer project studying the sharks, Fred dies in a tragic accident. In her grief, Lucy turns to her mothers research and, following the clues found in her unfinished work, finds a way to strengthen the remembered connections among her mother, Fred, and the people still present in Lucys life. The title refers to the member of a diving team who keeps track of the line that tethers the diver to the surface. Over the course of the book, Lucy comes to realize that she herself is (metaphorically) such a person, using her artistic abilities and her astute observations to preserve what binds her to her loved ones. While the plot lacks narrative urgency, the fluid writing adds depth to the various characters emotional journeys. Secondary characters, including Freds mother and sisters, are drawn just as meticulously as the major players, with authentic New Englander details that bring them to life. sarah berman March/April 2019 p 74(c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Lucy finds solace in her late mother's passion for shark biology during a summer that brings a new grief.First-person narrator Lucy and neighbor Fred are compiling a field guide to animals they find near their Rockport, Massachusetts, home. Lucy is the artist, Fred the scientist, and their lifelong friendship is only just hinting that it could become something more. Lucy's mother, who died of a brain aneurysm when Lucy was 7, five years earlier in 1991, was a recognized shark biologist; her father is a police diver. When a great white is snagged by a local fishermana family friendvideo footage of an interview with Lucy's mother surfaces on the news, and Lucy longs to know more. But then another loved one dies, drowned in a quarry accident, and it is Lucy's father who recovers the bodyin their small community it seems everyone is grappling with the pain. Lucy's persistence in learning about the anatomy of sharks in order to draw them is a kind of homage to those she's lost. Most of the characters are white; a marine scientist woman of color and protge of Lucy's mother plays a key role. Allen offers, through Lucy's voice, a look at the intersection of art, science, friendship, and love in a way that is impressively nuanced and realistic while offering the reassurance of connection. Rich, complex, and confidently voiced. (Historical fiction. 11-14) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
