This book is about a teenage girl, Martha. She is an aspiring writer whose outlook on life is changed after receiving a letter from a classmate who died in a car accident. The story is about her summer vacation with her family and her relationships with family member sand some neighborhood boys.
The characters are revealed through actions, dialogue and Martha�s thoughts. The characters are both convincing and credible. Both their strengths and weaknesses are shown. For example, Martha gets irritated too quickly with her parents, yet has infinite patience with her two year old sister. This is typical for someone in their early teens to be irritated with their parents. It helps make Martha seem like a real person. Stereotyping is avoided. The dad is a stay at home dad. Martha and her older brother get along rather well which is refreshing. Character growth is shown. Martha learns more about herself and about being part of a family. The causes are shown. She changes because of Olive�s death and her brief relationships with Jimmy and Tate.
The plot is realistic and the events are true to life. It�s easy to believe Martha�s relationships with her family members and that they are having a family vacation on the coast. The plot tells a good story, but it is kind of slow. There isn�t a lot of action. The plot is original and plausible, and there is a logical series of events. For instance, Martha becomes enamored with Jimmy first because he�s older than her. Then she realized that he�s not really interested in her and she starts liking Tate instead, who is better for her. There is no real main climax, but several smaller ones, such as Martha and Jimmy kissing, and Tate showing up at the last minute before Martha�s family leaves.
The setting is believable and contemporary, and is set at Cape Cod. The setting is important because the characters are not in their natural environment, which makes them act differently than they normally would if they were at home. The theme is family love. The story is not overpowered by the theme, but emerges naturally as the reader sees how Martha and her family interact with one another.
The style is pretty straightforward. The dialogue is suited to the characters. For instance, Martha says, �Da-ad, that is so embarrassing.� This sounds like something a teenage girl would say. There is also a good balance of narration and dialogue. After Martha makes the remark to her dad about something being embarrassing, she thinks to herself that maybe what her dad had said isn�t that embarrassing after all. The point of view is appropriate. It�s third person, but the reader can see Martha�s thoughts and feelings.
The story presents a conflict that affects human beings, which is growing up. It is a touching story about a girl�s first crushes and learning to be happy with her family and with herself.
