After the two had a falling out in the sixth grade year, Franny died during the ensuing summer before they had a chance to heal their friendship. Suzy has just started the seventh grade, which is the second year at Eugene Field Middle School in fictional South Grove, Massachusetts.ĭuring their sixth grade year, Franny became interested in boys and started to join a more popular social circle than the sometimes awkward Suzy, who had been best friends with Franny starting shortly after they met, when they were both five years old.
The book follows Suzy Swanson, the protagonist and narrator, who theorizes the death of her friend, Franny Jackson, was caused by a jellyfish sting. The Thing About Jellyfish is a 2015 children's novel written by Ali Benjamin, her fiction debut. At times, I was smiling through my tears.this book brought back memories of a time when wonder, excitement, and the ability to believe are foremost in your mind.Ī special mention to Neil and his inspiring review of this lovely book. Scientific facts involving jellyfish are woven in with a lyrical writing style that is so moving and powerful, and that provide parallels to daily life. It is not depressing, but is instead hopeful, with many moments of humor. This is a beautiful, middle grade novel that happens to be a great read for all ages, and especially meaningful if you have undergone the loss of a loved one. As she processes her grief and the journey at the point from when she and her friend first met, until her tragic death, Suzy begins to learn more about the complexities of friendship, and of the beauty and heartache in life. If people were silent, they could read one another's signals, the way underwater creatures flash lights at one another, or turn their skin different colors."Īfter her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy refuses to speak, and she is determined to discover the true cause of why the unthinkable happened.
If people were silent, it would make what they did say, whenever they chose to say it, more important. "If people were silent, they could hear the noise of their own lives better.
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