Publisher: William Morrow
Date of publication: February 2016
On the sharp crags of tiny Tillings Island lies the secret of Izabella Rae Haywood’s sixth birthday. That night, her father vanished, taking her voice—and the truth of what really happened—along with him. In the autumn of 1974, after eight long years of unsuccessful psychiatrist visits and silence, Iz’s mother packs up the tattered remains of their life, determined to return to Tillings in one last attempt to reclaim Iz’s voice—and piece together the splintered memories of the day her words ran dry. But when the residents of Tillings greet them with a standoffish welcome, it becomes clear that they know something about Iz, and the father she adored, that she does not.
Now, as the island’s annual Yemayá festival prepares to
celebrate the ties that bind mothers to children, lovers to each other, and
humankind to the sea, Iz must unravel the tangled threads of her own history .
. . or risk losing herself—and any chance she may have for a future—to the
past.
What the Waves Know is a beautifully written coming of age story that deals with how our memories shape our lives. I ended up devouring this book! I read it in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. Izabella is fourteen when her mother brings her back to Tillings Island to try to help her find her voice. When she was six, her father disappeared from her life and took her voice with him. She has no memory of what happened the night she told him to go away. But, as she spends time on the island, the memories begin to break free.
This story really makes you think about memories and how they often differ from reality. Also how the loss of bad memories can also make us forget the good ones as well. That is what Iz finds on the island. Not only what happened to her father, but she also begins to realize that she had lost good memories of her mother as well.
I don't want to give away too much of the story. I know this book will be making my top 10 at the end of the year. I hope you will be rooting for not only fourteen year old Iz but her six year old self just like I was while reading it. I just think you should go read it... like now. It's a great debut and I look forward to more from this author!
This story really makes you think about memories and how they often differ from reality. Also how the loss of bad memories can also make us forget the good ones as well. That is what Iz finds on the island. Not only what happened to her father, but she also begins to realize that she had lost good memories of her mother as well.
I don't want to give away too much of the story. I know this book will be making my top 10 at the end of the year. I hope you will be rooting for not only fourteen year old Iz but her six year old self just like I was while reading it. I just think you should go read it... like now. It's a great debut and I look forward to more from this author!
About Tamara Valentine
Tamara Valentine obtained an M.A. with distinction from
Middlebury College and has spent the past fourteen years as a professor in the
English Department at Johnson & Wales University. Presently, she lives in
Kingston, Rhode Island, with her husband and three children.
Purchase Links
Tamara’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, February 9th: Bibliotica
Wednesday, February 10th: Kahakai
Kitchen
Thursday, February 11th: Ms.
Nose in a Book
Friday, February 12th: A
Soccer Mom’s Book Blog
Monday, February 22nd: Novel Escapes
Tuesday, February 23rd: Lesa’s Book Critiques
Wednesday, February 24th: Luxury Reading
Thursday, February 25th: From the TBR Pile
Friday, February 26th: Kritters Ramblings
2 comments:
This sounds exceptional. It is already on my own TBR pile and now it is going closer to the top. So many books, so little time...
It looks like this is a book I should not miss! Thanks for being a part of the tour.
Post a Comment