Book Report: THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH

This book is called, “THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH”, written by Ali Benjamin. It is a deep story about growing up and forgiving. The main character is Suzy and she doesn’t talk anymore. Not after her best friend, Franny, who was an excellent swimmer drowns while swimming at sea. Suzy assumes that the only possibility for Franny to have drowned was that a deadly jellyfish stung her and she couldn’t fight it any longer. Determined to uncover the mystery of why her best friend died, Suzy goes to great lengths; she researches a few Jellyfish Experts and finds Jamie in Australia. Jamie, inspite of not being in her presence, becomes Suzy’s source of confidence. Suzy then decides to fly away to Australia, where Jamie is, to try and meet him face to face. So, Suzy steals some money from her parents and brother and then makes her way to the airport alone- without adult supervision and without informing her parents. Children are allowed to travel in the States alone if they are twelve and above but Australia is out of the United States of America. Although she is teenaged, she is denied access and starts to cry until her mother and brother arrive. Suzy explains her intentions to the two of them and then apologises about the money. She finally realises that Franny maybe just died and she’ll have to give her up. Suzy starts to talk again and all is well.

My Feelings and Thoughts about This Book:

• This story was very visceral. Everything seemed so realistic and it seemed like I was Suzy, getting hurt so badly by a friend but determined to try and uncover what killed her. It talks about the pain of giving up and having to let go of something and somewhere inside, I was touched.
• I actually cried reading this book. There were little diary entries dating back in time to when Franny and Suzy were ultimate best friends and then the diary entries started to show the time when Suzy and Franny grow apart from each other and become frenemies. On one occasion, Franny was so mean to Suzy that she even spat on her! I cried a bit that time. This is quite a big thing since I’ve hardly ever cried over a book before.
• At first, after reading the blurb to know what this fantastic story would be about, I thought that since it’s a mystery story and the blurb focused on trying to solve the mystery, it would be in third person. But, I was so wrong. This book, despite the fact that the main plot was to try and discover what killed Franny, is about growing up and letting go. So, Suzy has written this herself in first person.

I WOULD GIVE THIS BOOK A 8 OUT OF 10 RATING!

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING THE THING ABOUT JELLYFISH!

YOU CAN BUY IT HERE ON AMAZON FOR $9.79!

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