LIGHT ENOUGH TO FLOAT

Narrator Shannon Tyo delivers this audiobook's author's note, briefly describing Seal's real-life struggles with anorexia, clinical depression, suicidal ideation, and skin picking--all of which started during her teen years. Tyo tempers this opening with the author's understanding of and respect for resilient teens who currently face these challenges. Once the story begins, Tyo keeps listeners keenly aware of 14-year-old Evie's physical and emotional struggles. Tyo's narration captures the rhythms of its novel-in-verse structure and gives power to the spare text. Her stresses on poetic images and sensory details create poignancy and painful intensity that allow listeners to fully engage with Evie's denial, hospitalization, and, finally, hope. Tyo's depictions of Evie's fellow patients and family members add to the audio's complexity. S.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2024]