The Ocean in My Ears [Paperback]

Meri Miller lives in Soldotna, Alaska. Never heard of it? That's because inSlowdotna the most riveting activities for a teenager are salmon fishing and grabbing a Big Gulp at the local 7-Eleven. More than anything, Meri wants to hop in her VW Bug and head somewhere exciting, like New York or L.A. orany citywhere going to the theater doesnt only mean the movies. Everything is so scripted here—dont havetoomuch fun, datethisguy because hes older and popular, stay put because that's what everyone else does.

But when her senior year should be all boys, SAT prep, and prom drama, Meri feels more and more distance between herself and the people she loves. Her grandma dies, her brother gets hurt, and even her best friend checks out to spend more time with some guy. As she struggles with family, grief, friends, and hormones, Meri must decide if she really is ready for the world beyond her backyard.

Meagan Macvie's debut novel,The Ocean in My Ears, raises questions of love, purpose, and the power to choose your own future even when your future's the thing that scares you the most.

Merideth “Meri” Millers future is a black hole, but the summer before senior year stretches before her, and her life is changing faster than she can keep up.

Meris white best friend, Charlie, spends all of her time with her new boyfriend; her grandmother is dying; her brother is in a serious accident; and she struggles with decisions: where to go to college and when to have sex for the first time. Her two-faced boyfriend, older white guy Brett, is all hands and runs hot and cold, but she ignores the red flags; at least hes interested in her. The boy she wishes she were with, her longtime crush, the elusive Joaquin, who is Mexican, seems mildly interested, although he doesnt act on his feelings. Meri is complex: her desire to leave her small hometown of Soldotna, Alaska, after graduation battles the 17-yearlc(