Rose’s road trip up the Australian coast invokes flashbacks from the previous year, when her parents’ marriage, plans for college and best friendship all fell apart. Rose grits her teeth as she and her mother bounce alongside the ocean, evading untouchable topics. Readers find themselves in the back seat, completely caught up in the tense, exhausted love that’s up front and the chapters that trace Rose’s memories. McCarthy offers beautiful and brutal depictions of a tightly knit family fraying at the edges. As Rose spits venom at her set of sisters and mother, teen readers will understand her frustration, fury and turns of remorse. Just when Rose’s sour attitude grows tiresome, McCarthy begins to reveal what happened to change her from a levelheaded, college-bound girl to an erratic, drifting loner. Crisp writing perfectly captures this novel’s fascinating internal and external landscapes. Older teens just stepping into adulthood will recognize and appreciate Rose’s authentic transformative experiences. (Fiction. YA)
