The Thing about Jellyfish (National Book Award Finalist)

by Ali Benjamin

This stunning debut novel about grief and wonder was an instant New York Times bestseller and captured widespread critical acclaim, including selection as a 2015 National Book Award finalist!

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy must have been a rare jellyfish sting--things don't just happen for no reason. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

Oddlot Entertainment has acquired the screen rights to The Thing About Jellyfish, with Gigi Pritzker set to produce with Bruna Papandrea and Reese Witherspoon.

• ISBN10: 0316380865
• ISBN13: 9780316380867
• Publish Date: 22 September 2015 (first published 3 September 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[nannah]

Wow, this is probably the first really good book I've picked up in a long, long while. The style and way of storytelling reminds me of Patrick Ness--and whoever knows me knows I absolutely adorePatrick Ness, so this is high praise indeed.

Book content warnings:
drowning
child death

After her (former) best friend drowns, twelve-year-old Suzanne "Zu" is determined to prove that she died due to the sting of a Irukandji jellyfish.

That's really the barest way to describe the novel, because this is really an exploration of child grief, isolation (and self-isolation) in youth, and a child's way of explaining the world, life, and death.

I wish we could have had confirmation that Zu was autistic, though, because as an autistic person reading this book, I was 100% sure she was like me. Growing up, Zu's problems were my problems, and her experiences were achingly similar to my own. But even without this confirmation, her character development and the way she's written is just so well done. I'd give anything for more books with characters like her.

I'm also touched that Zu's brother is LGBT with a boyfriend. Usually with side characters/brothers/best friends who are gay, it's just an add-in to grab some LGBT readers, and I just roll my eyes. But there's something different here, I don't know. There's something about how Zu's brother and his boyfriend are the most supportive characters; there's something about how damn healthy the relationship between her brother and his boyfriend is. It's written with such care and love that I don't mind it's a side relationship. I'm touched that it was included. That . . . never happens!

Anyway, this book taught me many things about life, grief, and jellyfish. I feel like I want to study jellyfish now! In any case, I'm definitely going to look up how I can somehow help jellyfish from taking over the seas. Or maybe get a poster of jellyfish to remind me that, yes, jellyfish are strong. They're forever. And that's pretty damn inspiring.

[Beth C.]

What happens when you're 12 and the person you have always considered your best friend dies suddenly. You don't find out for two days, and - even worse - you never have the chance to say goodbye. Nor do you have the opportunity to apologize for your last act - meant with the best of intentions, but not received as such. When maybe you're a little different than the average 12-year-old girl, and you suddenly learn that a rare jellyfish is migrating north and the sting could be unnoticed. If you're Suzy, you begin to research that jellyfish in order to convince everyone - but mostly yourself - that things *don't just happen*.

While the book is a middle-grade level book, the story contained within is appropriate for all ages. It is unique and absolutely beautifully written. Suzy has a voice that is all her own, but her struggles to accept the death of her friend and what that means for her own life, are universal. The book is divided into parts that have sections within them. Each part begins with instruction from Suzy's science teacher about how to do a scientific research paper. Then the sections alternate between Suzy's research and her remembrances of her friendship with Franny throughout their 12 years. In a sense, the book is a scientific research paper regarding love, loss, and acceptance.

The characters in the story are so beautifully...human. As a parent, I know that "sometimes things just happen" has crossed my lips - and never have I appreciated that internal struggle that it could cause in someone who strongly appreciates order and reason. And yet...sometimes they do. Coming to terms with that can take years for some, and some never do. This is the beautiful tale of a girl who begins to learn that sometimes, things aren't what we want them to be, and change is just a part of life. An excellent book for a discussion of love and loss, and for any classroom, library, or home.

[Bianca]

It’s a gift to spend time with people we care about. Even if it’s imperfect. Even if that time doesn’t end when, or how, we expected. Even when that person leaves us.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Initial Thoughts: I've (oddly) read a few other 2015 releases about kids trying to express their grief after the death of their best friend, but this is by far the best of them.

Full Review:

The Thing About Jellyfish is one of those rare books that kicked me in the heart and really reminded me of why I love to read.  With a heartwarming ending, hard truths along the way, and a plethora of knowledge, The Thing About Jellyfish is the first middle grade book I have read in a while that made me feel that I learned something new.

It is so good to be able to read a fiction book and come out, not just having learned something about human nature like how to grieve, but having learned fun facts.  As an avid fantasy fan, I usually come out of books knowing something about the best way to joust or to care for a horse, but little of that is new to me anymore.  This book is new, and it is refreshing.  I have never known so much about jellyfish, and I am loving it.  Benjamin also nicely frames the facts, and Suzy’s journey coming to terms with Franny’s death, with instructions on how to do scientific research.  The structure of the book follows Suzy’s purpose, hypothesis, research, conclusions, etc.  Here is a book that makes science seem cool and reminds readers the best research happens when you are allowed to follow your own interests.

Not everything about the book is perfect.  I think the story is somewhat disingenuous about Franny and Suzy’s relationship.  [Minor spoilers ahead in this paragraph.]  Franny stops being Suzy’s friend long before her death, and she does not even simply “drift away.”  Franny drops Suzy intentionally.  She is cruel to her, calls her weird, excludes her from gatherings with her new popular friends.  The book is thus based on the strange premise that Suzy is actually grieving the death of the friend and the type of girl that Franny used to be, and maybe the potential that Franny had to become someone kind and fun again in the future.  But the two are definitely not best friends at the time of Franny’s death, which makes Suzy’s obsession with her death seem a bit delusional.  I know readers are supposed to recognize Suzy’s fixation on jellyfish an unusual manifestation of her grieving, but I think Benjamin skirts the issue that Suzy’s belief she and Franny were still friends at all is also a failure to face reality.

The book itself does not shirk from facing reality, however.  Middle schoolers can be mean, and Benjamin accurately captures what it can feel like to be the class joke for weeks after making a middle school faux pas or how hard it can be to feel like the only girl who does cannot figure out how to dress cool.  Benjamin attempts to lighten the mood by giving Suzy an older brother who empathizes, telling her middle school can be hard and there will be better times ahead.  But, let’s face it, saying “Yeah, it stinks but you’ll get through it in three years” is not that uplifting.  Mainly The Thing About Jellyfish reminded me that I would never want to go back to middle school myself, and I am truly sorry for anyone stuck there now.  I hope younger readers will read the book and take away that, if middle school is difficult for them, they are not alone.

The Thing About Jellyfish is a thoughtful story that tackles middle school, death, and moving on.  I have read several 2015 releases about children struggling to come to grief with the death of their best friend, but this one is by far the best of the batch.