Description
Will and Summer meet online and strike up a friendship based on coincidence. Summer lives in Will’s old hometown, Kettering, a small Tasmanian coastal community. Both Will and Summer are missing a parent and needing a friend.
Summer isn’t telling the whole truth about herself, but figures it doesn’t matter if they never see each other in person, right? When Will returns to Kettering, the two finally meet and Summer can no longer hide her secret. Can Summer and Will still find a way to be friends?
Set against a picturesque Tasmanian backdrop, Talk Under Water is about following your dreams, finding true friends and stepping up to meet life’s challenges.
Review
Placed in a similar setting to Kathryn Lomer’s previous successful teen novel What Now, Tilda B? of a small coastal Tasmanian town, Talk Under Water is a truly captivating read.
Will’s parents separated when his Mum just left and his Dad decided to take their yacht and travel the Australian coastline with Will. But two years later, with Will’s encouragement, his Dad gets a job back in Kettering, only to find many things have changed.
First, Will must face the gorgeous girl that he talks to online, Summer, who has only recently moved to Kettering. And of course he will be going back to his old friends.
The relationship that Will develops with Summer is the real core of this story. Summer didn’t quite tell him the whole truth online, and she turns out to be not entirely who he thought she was. Will the fact that she is deaf impact on their relationship? Or will it endure?
It is a love story and a story of empowerment. There are many issues faced in this story, which make it an ideal read for younger teens, say 13-15. The cover design may lend itself towards a female readership only, but that would be a shame.
Reviewed by Rob
Teacher notes are available for this title at www.uqp.uq.edu.au
