Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley - OPTIONAL

Crowley, Cath Words in Deep Blue, 269 pages.  Knopf (Random), 2017.  $18.  

Language: R (30+ swears, 21+ F – I stopped counting after page 144); Mature Content: R (off page sex, body parts references, other sexual references); Violence: G.

Three years ago Rachel moved away without saying goodbye to her best friend, Henry, but she left him a love letter tucked between the pages of his favorite book in his family’s bookshop.  Now, after her younger brother’s death, Rachel is back in town to hopefully pull her life together.  Henry has just been dumped, again, by the same girl who distracted him before Rachel left originally.  Rachel wants nothing to do with Henry, but her aunt, not knowing, got her a job at the store, so the two are constantly thrown into each other’s sphere.  Henry is still torn up over his girlfriend and wants Rachel’s sympathy. 

While the summary of this book makes it sound like a trite teen romantic triangle, Crowley has actually done a skillful job of weaving something much, much better.  Despite the tragic swear count and maturity, I read this all the way through in one sitting.  The main plot and several small plot points are skillfully interwoven to create a complex whole that rises above the norm. 

HS – OPTIONAL.  Cindy, Library Teacher