Publishers Weekly
Initially, this novel reads like a spoof on B-grade science fiction with the introduction of some very improbable events. First, there is a nuclear explosion in the ocean. Then, an unidentifiable "blob" washes onto a Cape Cod beach and two strangers with odd mannerisms and ways of speaking suddenly appear in town. Yet it soon becomes clear that Nelson (Paranoid Park) has something more profound in mind than tracking an alien invasion. After 17-year-old Emily and her sidekick Reese befriend the two strangers-who go by "Steve" and "Dave" and claim to be linguistic students-they experience some strange phenomena, such as being able to sense what animals are thinking and having euphoric dreams ("It was like I was floating on air and the sun was superclose to me.... and I somehow knew everything was okay and everyone loved everyone and the Earth was the best place in the entire galaxy"). After witnessing the duo's remarkable healing powers, Emily suspects that there is something unearthly about them-suspicions that are confirmed when they reveal their true identities, histories and knowledge of the universe. Woven into the story are environmentalist themes and prophetic ideas that pack a punch and may inspire contemplation about the Earth's uncertain future. Offering wittiness, suspense and ideologies borrowed from Eastern religions, Nelson reaches a new level of depth and creativity with this intriguing depiction of one very weird summer. Ages 13-up.(July)
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Children's Literature
- Stephanie Guerra
Seventeen-year-old Emily is thrilled to be spending the summer with her scientist dad on Cape Cod. Her vacation starts on an odd note when a mysterious white blob washes up on the beach, drawing the attention of local scientists and police. But she soon loses herself in the hunt for guys and parties with her best friend Reese. When they meet Steve and Dave, handsome exchange students from Germany, the girls think they have found perfect boyfriends, but it soon becomes clear that something odd is going on: Steve and Dave are connected in some way to the blob on the beach and the increasing number of strange incidents around town. The truth about Steve and Dave is beyond the wildest leaps of Emily's imagination. In getting to know Steve and Dave and witnessing their communion with all forms of life, Emily sees the stark contrast between their lives and the way that humans live with antagonism and aggression toward the environment. Tight, fast-paced prose makes this book appear deceptively simple; in actuality, it is a deep and sad contemplation of humans' relationship with the world and other forms of life. Though Nelson never dives overtly into religion, there are distinctly mystical, quasi-Buddhist undertones to some of his statements about life, death, and human purpose. This would be a great literature tie-in for a unit on environmental studies.
VOYA
- Kathleen Beck
Best friends Emily and Reese are looking forward to a normal summer on Cape Cod: the beach, pizza at Antonio's, and cute boys. But events beyond the horizon are about to hijack their plans. An American nuclear missile is accidentally lost in the deepest part of the ocean off the coast of Canada. The resulting radiation leak affects deep-sea creatures in unforeseen ways. Emily's scientist father is summoned to examine a mysterious, glowing blob that has washed up on the Cape. Steve and Dave appear, two oddly attractive boys with unusual mannerisms, awesome powers of healing, and a burning interest in the object. Who are they? Are they here to retrieve the blob? This science fiction novel is quirky, funny, and true to life among the summer colonists. It also has a deeper message that sneaks up on the reader. Steve and Dave embody concerns about ocean pollution and cavalier treatment of other species. They raise questions about immortality, acceptance of differences, and what humans value in each other. Characters who seem to be stereotypes upend expectations. Beach babes Emily and Reese, oafish Harold and Carl, and posers Luke and Jimmy grow in surprising ways. There are repetitious passages that would have benefited from more rigorous editing. The ending manages to be dramatic and anticlimactic at the same time; the novel is strong enough to do without such flourishes. On the whole, though, it is a fun and worthy offering with appeal beyond the usual SF crowd.
Nicole Avery
Summer on Cape Cod is the highlight of the year for Reese and Emily. The long-distance friends look forward to endless days of sun, surf, and finding the perfect summer boyfriend, but the disappearance of a nuclear missile off the East Coast starts a strange chain of events. From the mysterious blob that washes up on the beach to the two odd but gorgeous boys who have an urgent message for Emily's marine biologist father, the girls find out that this summer may be more than they could have imagined. Some far-fetched science fiction and a character's supernatural senses make for a few laughable moments. However, the environmental twist and cliffhanger ending set this novel apart from other teens-at-the-beach plots. Reviewer: Nicole Avery
KLIATT
- Claire Rosser
In a wonderfully innovative deception, Nelson starts with a typical YA summer novel situation, and uses this framework to tell a morality tale about the largest questions faced by Earthlings. As in, will our planet survive the environmental hazards already causing destruction? Emily and Reese are summer friends, hanging out at the beach (Cape Cod), hoping to meet cute boys and have some fun. Emily's father is a semi-retired biological scientist, happy to have his daughter with him during the summer months. Two of the cute boys the girls meet are nearly as handsome as Brad Pitt, but the girls see very quickly these boys are different. They aren't quite human, really. Emily's father is very curious about them. They are able to heal injuries. They bring a kind of euphoric pleasure to those in their presence...and if a human touches them, well, that joy is even more profound. Emily and Reese and their crew of beach friends get involved with helping the strange strangers escape the police and FBI. "Steve" and "Dave" have a mission, and they enlist the help of their new friends, including Emily's father, to do what they have to do and return to where they came from—they came from below. The action is exciting and the myth-like creatures, Steve and Dave, leave everyone changed, looking at their world in a new light. And Reese? She may be changing the world even more profoundly. Smart, witty, and suspenseful.
Kirkus Reviews
On the hunt for temporary boyfriends, two giddy girls on summer vacation at Cape Cod get involved with aliens from the deep. Emily and Reese find themselves irresistibly attracted to Steve and Dave, and not just because of their movie-star looks. The boys have the ability to heal people with their mysterious connection to virtually every thinking organism on earth-a planet they'll be leaving soon as the earth becomes ever more polluted. Meanwhile, they're trying to rescue a fellow organism from the government with the help of Emily's scientist dad. Nelson chooses a simple but effectively flowing style as he digs beneath the surface of a frivolous summer beach caper to discover far deeper meanings in this appealing sci-fi fantasy. A patina of triviality hides danger and some compelling musings on humanity's connection to the earth and each other. Fun, interesting and perfectly pitched to many YA readers. (Science fiction. YA)
