Trapped

by Brook Merrow

Senior year is off to a disastrous start for Ethan Olsen. His brother is gone, a friend is dead, and someone’s dumped rotten bait on the front doorstep. Not only that, but his family is the target of nonstop harassment that threatens their lobstering livelihood in a small town on the coast of Maine.
As Ethan attempts to make sense of these events, he teams up with Britney Campbell, self-proclaimed research geek and potential girlfriend, if only Ethan can make the next move. In the face of mounting incidents and rumors that his brother is a murderer, Ethan feels increasingly helpless. But all that changes when he comes to terms with a lingering childhood trauma.
Trapped , a coming-of-age mystery that touches on themes of identity and belonging, will keep you guessing to the end.

251 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2023

About the author

Brook Merrow grew up on the coast of Maine. She has taught writing at the middle school, high school, and college levels. Originally a journalist, her work has appeared in various regional publications. She loves irreverent humor, tasteless movies, a twist of irony, and exercise of any kind. Brook and her husband, Hy Adelman, split their time between an airplane hangar in Idaho and a home in Maine.

Reviews

[Rebecca McPhedran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A North Star YA nominee for 24|25.

Ethan’s senior year is off to a rocky start. His brother has just left town in the middle of the night, someone has left an old bait bag filled with fish parts on his front step, and nothing feels right.

Ethan keeps the ship righted, both physically and metaphorically. His father is a second generation lobsterman off the coast of Maine. Lobstermen are a stoic group, but Ethan is having a hard time keeping it all together. He needs to catch a break, and soon.

Ethan was such a lovable character. I really enjoyed the setting of the book; the coast of Maine felt like another character. This book was so so good.

[John Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ethan Olsen freezes up every time his grandfather's death is mentioned, but the trauma lives on inside him, making his life sometimes feel like a minefield. He lives with his parents and older brother who has gotten a full ride at Harvard. Dad is a lobsterman, like Gramps was, but he and his wife want better for their sons.
When older brother Ben starts acting odd and seems moody, Ethan isn't certain what's going on. Then Ben disappears and immediately after, Connor, a summer resident befriended by Ben, whose father is cold and very wealthy, is found floating in an abandoned granite quarry. If Ben's sudden disappearance wasn't enough, a series of threats to the Olsen family begin, starting with rotting bait strewn on their doorstep.
There is a dual escalation of plot threads, one being why Ben vanished and where he went, the other being the threats to the Olsen family's lobstering. Add in an interesting budding romance between Ethan and Britney Campbell, a smart, slightly cynical, and driven girl who has her own baggage.
This story does a great job of letting most readers 'guess' the big secret early on while pulling them along to see the why of each piece of the tale, whether it's Ben's mystery, the reason for the threats to the Olsen lobstering entity, or the dynamics between Ethan and Britney. All are done to perfection and the minor players, the lobstering aspect, and the coastal setting are all extremely well crafted.
This is a great book for any library to own.

[Claire McKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a weakness for a good young adult book, though I am past the age. The coming of age struggles, sensitivities, fresh awareness, rivalries and the mental processing of the world outside of oneself I find intriguing. How a community, friends and family can positively establish a foundation for a young person’s life always gives me optimism. Trapped, is a book with all these elements. Punch Harbor is a real place. Ethan, his family and his friends are real people faced with genuine issues. Good read.

[Gillian French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brook Merrow’s Trapped probes the depths of a seaside town rife with secrets, as well as the fathoms of our most private selves. Ethan’s journey of self realization underscores the risks of denial and the importance of communication with those we hold most dear. A warm and moving coming-of-age tale.

[Mary Tufts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness! This woman knows how to write. This was absolutely excellent from start to finish. I highly recommend this book which I bought by meeting the author at a book fair in Thomaston Maine.