The Sea of Tranquillity

The Sea of Tranquillity 

Author- Katja Millay

page count- 426

publisher- Atria Books

Publication date- November 13th 2012

Synopsis 

Self inflicted mute Nastya Kashnikov want's nothing more than to get through life in her new high school as a mystery, she want's a clean slate, she also want's to make the person who tore her life apart to pay, but can she have both?

Josh Bennett is no mystery, everyone knows his story, by the age of 17 he has had everyone he loves ripped from his life and now he doesn't let himself get close enough to anyone in case they're ripped from his life too. But this all changes when Nastya implants herself into his life, giving him no choice but to care.

When the world's of these two teens collide everything changes, secrets are revealed, mystery's uncovered, but can these two find it within themselves to see past their tragedies and find solace in one another or will their pasts come back to haunt them?

Told in dual points of view this book is incredibly moving and unforgettable.

My opinion 

 The Sea of Tranquillity by Katja Millay is beautifully written.

Admittedly the book has a slow build up but I believe that reflects the reality of life, your stories come out slowly in life and that's reflected amazingly in this book. For a debut novel Millay has come out with a bang.

I cannot find the right words to express my feelings about this book it was beautiful, emotional, light hearted and heart wrenching at the same time, overall just an incredibly moving book. It's about two damaged teens, the survivors of equally devastating and traumatic tragedies, who come together and somehow find safety, love and happiness in each other and slowly begin to heal each other.

“We're like mysteries to one another. Maybe if I can solve him and he can solve me, we can explain each other. Maybe that's what I need. Someone to explain me.”  

The characters are complex and beautifully presented and they each have so many layers that are pealed off chapter by chapter until they are presented to you in their rawest form: the main character Nastya is both vulnerable and tough as nails which is why I loved her so much, she was strong and intelligent and sarcastic, and it's hard to find protagonists like this in YA novels.
Secondly we have Josh, who was angry and damaged but strong with a heart of gold at the same time. Josh was such a beautiful character, I wish there were more Josh Bennett's in this world.

                                                          Rating: 8.5/10