About the book
“A haunting first novel that takes a horrifying family calamity and turns it into a form of magic.”—The New York Times
On a sunny spring morning, sixteen-year-old Ethan Shumway walks down his gravel driveway, turns the bend, and vanishes without a trace. As police search for clues, Ethan's devastated family and friends—from his parents and four siblings to the older woman who was more than a teacher to Ethan—grapple for answers in the teenager's enigmatic life. As this elusive mystery slowly weaves its way into the fabric of the family, Ethan's younger brother, Philip, becomes the last, most stubborn searcher of all: a boy caught between the power and fragility of youth, between the bonds and fissures of family, searching for understanding in the unbearable presence of loss.
Praise for The Odd Sea
“A powerful debut novel.”—People
“[An] extraordinarily good first novel . . . The story has a dark, dreamlike quality, and author Reiken tells it with no melodrama nor any word out of place.”—Time
“A luminous parable about growing up, about the necessity of dealing with inevitable loss and questions that cannot be answered . . . Reiken is a smoothly seductive storyteller. He has talent for telling but not telling, for revealing only enough information to whet our appetite.”—Newsday
Editions of The Odd Sea
- Paperback
- ISBN 9780385333382
Read an Excerpt
“A haunting first novel that takes a horrifying family calamity and turns it into a form of magic.”—The New York Times
On a sunny spring morning, sixteen-year-old Ethan Shumway walks down his gravel driveway, turns the bend, and vanishes without a trace. As police search for clues, Ethan's devastated family and friends—from his parents and four siblings to the older woman who was more than a teacher to Ethan—grapple for answers in the teenager's enigmatic life. As this elusive mystery slowly weaves its way into the fabric of the family, Ethan's younger brother, Philip, becomes the last, most stubborn searcher of all: a boy caught between the power and fragility of youth, between the bonds and fissures of family, searching for understanding in the unbearable presence of loss.
Praise for The Odd Sea
“A powerful debut novel.”—People
“[An] extraordinarily good first novel . . . The story has a dark, dreamlike quality, and author Reiken tells it with no melodrama nor any word out of place.”—Time
“A luminous parable about growing up, about the necessity of dealing with inevitable loss and questions that cannot be answered . . . Reiken is a smoothly seductive storyteller. He has talent for telling but not telling, for revealing only enough information to whet our appetite.”—Newsday
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Odd Sea about?
“A haunting first novel that takes a horrifying family calamity and turns it into a form of magic.”—The New York Times
On a sunny spring morning, sixteen-year-old Ethan Shumway walks down his gravel driveway, turns the bend, and vanishes without a trace. As police search for clues, Ethan's devastated family and friends—from his parents and four siblings to the older woman who was more than a teacher to Ethan—grapple for answers in the teenager's enigmatic life. As this elusive mystery slowly weaves its way into the fabric of the family, Ethan's younger brother, Philip, becomes the last, most stubborn searcher of all: a boy caught between the power and fragility of youth, between the bonds and fissures of family, searching for understanding in the unbearable presence of loss.
Praise for The Odd Sea
“A powerful debut novel.”—People
“[An] extraordinarily good first novel . . . The story has a dark, dreamlike quality, and author Reiken tells it with no melodrama nor any word out of place.”—Time
“A luminous parable about growing up, about the necessity of dealing with inevitable loss and questions that cannot be answered . . . Reiken is a smoothly seductive storyteller. He has talent for telling but not telling, for revealing only enough information to whet our appetite.”—Newsday
What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in The Odd Sea?
Fiction > Fiction: literary and general non-genre
Where can I read a sample of The Odd Sea?
You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780385333382
Who is/are the Author/s of the book The Odd Sea?
Frederick Reiken
What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?
The Odd Sea is available as paperback(ISBN 9780385333382)
Where can I buy The Odd Sea online or support local independent bookshops?
You can buy The Odd Sea from below
Where can I buy The Odd Sea?