Staff Pick
Meagan Macvie delivers a dead-on coming-of-age tale set in her own tiny hometown of Soldotna, Alaska. Meri faces a senior year full of stress — her boyfriend, her brother, her best friend, her grandmother, her prom, her SATs, her parents, and even the adorable guy for whom she secretly pines — they're all problematic. Trying desperately to untangle from the drama around her, Meri keeps her eyes on the future: her college years — her ticket out of Soldotna. Macvie's characters have real depth (except for the jerks!), and she writes with a wickedly dry sense of humor. The Ocean in My Ears is a first-rate young adult novel that will make you cringe — and giggle — remembering your own adolescence. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Meri Miller lives in Soldotna, Alaska. Never heard of it? That's because in Slowdotna the most riveting activities for a teenager are salmon fishing and grabbing a Big Gulp at the local 7-Eleven. More than anything, Meri wants to hop on a plane and start college somewhere exciting, like New York or L.A. or any city where going to the theater doesn't only mean the movies. Everything is so scripted here--don't have too much fun, date this guy because he's older and popular, stay put because that's what everyone else does.
But when her senior year should be all boys, SAT prep, and prom drama, Meri feels more and more distance between herself and the people she loves. Her grandma dies, her brother gets hurt, and even her best friend checks out to spend more time with some guy. As she struggles with family, grief, friends, and hormones, Meri must decide if she really is ready for the world beyond her backyard.
Meagan Macvie's debut novel, The Ocean in My Ears, raises questions of love, purpose and the power to choose your own future even when your future's the thing that scares you the most.
Review
"Set in the early 1990s, Macvie’s debut novel follows 17 year old Meri Miller during her last year of high school in (very) small town Soldotna, Alaska, yet the year turns out to be anything but uneventful. As she seeks a way to leave Alaska for college, she navigates her first sexual encounter, the loss of her grandmother, a friend who drifts away, and the stifling rules of her religious parents. The novel is interspersed with pages from Meri’s diary as well as letters she exchanges with friends and family demonstrating Meri’s careful work toward becoming a writer. The writing is raw and occasionally verges on melodramatic in its true to life capturing of an adolescent voice, as when Meri’s will clashes with her mother’s (“I want to tell Joquin the truth about dating Brett and what happened but I don’t want to wreck what I have now with him”). As Meri learns to trust her gut instincts in a variety of situations, Macvie movingly explores the ever shifting highs and lows of adolescence. Ages 14–up. (Nov.)" Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved."
About the Author
Meagan Macvie was born and raised in Alaska. She received her MFA in fiction from Pacific Lutheran University. Her work has appeared in Narrative, Fugue, and Barrelhouse, as well as the short story anthology, Timberland Writes Together. Meagan lives with her husband and daughter in Washington State.