This Is the Story of You

by Beth Kephart

On Haven, a six-mile long, half-mile-wide stretch of barrier island, Mira Banul and her Year-Rounder friends have proudly risen to every challenge. But when a superstorm defies all predictions and devastates the island, when it strands Mira’s mother and brother on the mainland and upends all logic, nothing will ever be as it was. A stranger appears in the wreck of Mira’s home. A friend obsessed with vanishing is gone. As the mysteries deepen, Mira must find the strength to carry on—to somehow hold her memories in place while learning to trust a radically reinvented future.

Gripping and poetic, This Is the Story of You is about the beauty of nature and the power of family, about finding hope in the wake of tragedy and recovery in the face of overwhelming loss.

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Fiction, Action, Survival

258 pages, Hardcover

First published April 12, 2016

About the author

I'm the award-winning writer of more than two-dozen books in multiple genres—memoir, middle grade and young adult fiction, picture books, history, corporate fable, and books on the making of memoir.

I'm also an award-winning teacher at the University of Pennsylvania, co-founder of Juncture Workshops, and an essayist and critic with work appearing in The New York Times, Life magazine, Ninth Letter, Catapult, The Millions, The Rumpus, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, and elsewhere.

Please visit me at junctureworkshops.com or bethkephartbooks.com.

Reviews

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were about three different threads running through this story, and I didn't feel that any of them were developed enough. Why give the brother a rare disease? I couldn't really feel sorry for him because there wasn't anything about him (other than a rare disease which I didn't really know how it would affect him) to make me feel sorry. The "mystery" of Mira's family really didn't come into play until the story was nearly over, and then the "mystery" seemed so obvious to me it wasn't even worth putting it in. Old Carmen? What was her purpose in the story? Who knows? Not me. The storm was the only common thread running throughout the story, and it wasn't even terribly suspenseful since Mira slept through it. I feel like all the characters and the story itself had much more potential than was realized in the book. At the end I just felt like, "Meh...." Disappointed.

[Jenn · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first and last Beth Kephart book. I do not enjoy books written in this lyrical style. It's like a crutch for poor storytelling with lots of plot holes and weak character development. I cannot see any of my teens enjoying this read.

[Keann · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not like this book very much, I started to like it near the end of the book. I didn't like this book because I felt like the Arthur had to add every little detail to the story. So I was very bored reading it. This is what I thought about the story of you.

[Sarah Laurence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Kephart is one of my favorite young adult authors because her sophisticated writing challenges teens to think for themselves. In literary prose Kephart explores real world issues through complex characters and surreal imagery. Well-developed adult characters make her books cross over easily to grown ups too. Her evocative settings transport the reader to another world. Don't you love her latest cover?

This is a Story of You is a modern parable of the horrors of climate change. When a storm cuts off an island from the Jersey Shore, 17-year-old Mira must fight for survival with only a stray cat for company. Earlier that day, her single mom had driven her disabled brother to the mainland hospital for emergency treatment. As the storm rages and the sea floods their beachside cottage, Mira must decide what to save and how to stay alive. If that weren't scary enough, a mysterious intruder is lurking outside, and without power or cellular service, Mira can't call for help.

Of the eight books I've read by Beth Kephart, This Is the Story of You is the most accessible to a general audience. It's more plot-driven and faster paced with the storm acting like a character in itself, a merciless antagonist threatening Mira and her friends. I read most of the book in one afternoon, flipping the pages anxiously and shivering as a storm raged outside my own house. As a survivor myself of an ocean storm that flooded an island (No Name of 1991), I could relate too well to this story.

Although the storm results in tragedy, Kephart's outlook on humanity is sunny. This is no Lord of the Flies. My only criticism is her Story would have felt more realistic if some of the characters had acted selfishly or tried to benefit from others' losses. Still, this harrowing tale was quite believable in our world threatened by climate change. There were lots of useful survival tips too.

What was special about this environmental thriller was the literary style. The narrative language was as rhythmic and balladic as a campfire song:

"Our training was impeccable. We were used to weather. We were proud of being used to weather."

"The birds were flying closer still and the tide was high and feisty, the foam shearing loose from the sea and bouncing down the shoreline. The dune planks rattled when the breeze kicked in. The window boxes beneath the front bay window complained. The monsters of the sea were out there churning...."

"A great blue heron sauntered over the keys of the piano."

I'd recommend This is the Story of You to readers of all ages. This contemporary YA novel is being marketed for teens, but it would also be perfect for younger, precocious readers who don't scare easily. The protagonist finds a dead body, but that's as edgy as the narrative gets. Unlike most YA, there is no substance abuse nor much in the way of romance. It reads like a classic adventure story/mystery with modern teen updates. Kirkus Reviews and School Library Journal gave this book starred reviews. I predict that This is the Story of You will be a big hit.

Full review with storm & author photos and reviewer's disclaimer on my blog: http://blog.sarahlaurence.com/2016/04...

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Haven, an island off the Jersey shore, Mira and her friends are year rounders, wait for the summer tourists to leave so their lives are their own again. Mira'a brother has the very rare Hunter's syndrome and her mother takes him to the mainland for treatment. This is where they will be stuck, leaving Mira on the island, when Hurricane Sandy hits. A storm that was predicated to miss the town of Haven.

The writing in this is very different, had to get used to it, beautifully descriptive but short sentences, sparse, no wasted words. Mira and her friends, amazing characters, Old Carmen, the town's eccentric soon to be a heroine. The descriptions of the storm, the debris, the wind, the destruction, the sand all so visually told. The town before and after. The days when they were unable to get help, pulling together, resources, clothing, trying to find missing loved ones, pets, the havoc this storm caused to so many lives. I loved the characters, there is even a bit of a mystery, who are the new boy and girl in this small town? Mira will change throughout this story, people will pull together, sorrow and joy, courage and fear.

Ended up quite liking this story marketed form young adults. A new author for me but will look for more of her books. Quite good.

ARC from publisher.

[Ryley (Ryley Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Raincoast Books for providing me with a copy of this book to read for review. All opinions are my own.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was suspenseful and frightening, but it was so beautifully written that sometimes you forgot it took place in the middle of a superstorm.

I really liked the layout, three parts and how the story was fairly equally divided between before the storm and after the storm. You get this image of a charming little island town, then ravaged by the sea.

I am rating this closer to a 3.5 because while I enjoyed it, there was a little bit towards the middle end that got slow, and I almost gave up. I'm glad I didn't though because that twist at the end! I did not see that coming.

My only other complaint is that the twist happens so late in the book, it's pretty much the last three chapters and then the book ends. I kinda wish we had that info a little earlier, but hey, at least it picked up the story!

[Mrs. Elizabeth Barrett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the Story of You is an interesting book that took a bit of time to get into. Although I never truly connected with or felt strong emotion toward the characters, the plot was enjoyable. The main genre would be realistic fiction but this book also has hints of adventure and mystery.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story about Hurricane Sandy, so it happened just last year or so, but when all systems are down and everything is wrecked you could just as easily be decades ago or in some dystopian future.

This is a story told by your artsy friend who seems so spacey and talks in circles but sees things others don't and you love her for that.

--reviewed from an advance reader's copy. Please support your local independent bookstore if you choose to buy this book--

[Nia Kuzio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was definitely a great read. There were so many amazing details. I would defiantly recommend this book to young adult readers, like myself.

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me be honest, this book was good. But it didn't enthuse me as much as I had hoped. Still a very good storyline.

[Madalyn (Novel Ink) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review originally appeared on Novel Ink.

I’ll admit that I have some conflicting thoughts about this book. This is the Story of You follows a teenage girl named Mira as the tiny island she calls home is unexpectedly struck by a devastating storm. I’m truly not sure where to begin with my thoughts on this book, because, well, nothing really happens in the story. I mean, a number of separate events occur, but the author fails to connect them in any way or provide context for the reader re: why we should care.

Most of my conflicting views on This is the Story of You stem from the fact that I LOVED Kephart’s writing. The prose is lyrical and so lovely. It almost makes the novel read like poetry; the author truly seems to have a mastery of the English language. However, I feel that this beautiful writing was often used to mask the glaring plotholes and lack of substance in the story itself. All of the characters, from Mira, to her family, to her “year-rounder” friends, are severely underdeveloped. I especially felt like Mira’s younger brother, Jasper Lee’s, chronic illness/disability was used as a plot device, which made me incredibly uneasy. Additionally, there were a few characters introduced toward the end of the book that seemed to add nothing to the story, even though I got the impression that they were supposed to hold some significance (though it was never clear what).

As for the plot itself, as I mentioned briefly above, it just doesn’t go anywhere. I was excited to read this book because my parents live on a small coastal island, so I could relate to the setting and to the devastation storms can bring to island communities. However, the storm was really all that happened in the book– which might work, if some character growth came out of it… but it didn’t. The characters were all affected by the storm, sure, but the author didn’t convey the ways in which it shaped their lives. It just made This is the Story of You a frustrating, unrewarding read, because 1.) the characters were two-dimensional to begin with, and 2.) there was virtually no plot and no character growth. At the moment, after finishing this book, my dominant emotion is confusion.

All in all, this had the potential to be a wonderful story– especially given the strength of Kephart’s prose– but in the end, both the plot and the characters fell flat.

[Zachary West · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this book is really complex, especially on the emotional side of things. Mira is a girl who considers herself average, but I think is a lot more than just average. She lives on a barrier island near New Jersey, loves taxonomy, and has a brother with the extremely rare Hunter Syndrome. Her mode of transportation around the island is a pair of roller skates, which I thought was pretty cool for a 21st century character. In other words, Mira is a richly developed character who has many unusual and interesting qualities about her.

An ordinary sounding storm surprises everyone and cripples the island. This is where a lot of the complexity takes place. Mira's mother and brother are on the mainland, and the only bridge connecting the two has been wiped out. Her home is completely destroyed, except her badly damaged attic bedroom that managed to stay above water. Someone begins sifting through her bedroom's remains and taking items that belonged to her late aunt. Mira, as well as the other residents of the island, band together to find each other and help each other survive until help can arrive.

Mira must make plenty of life altering decisions on the island after the storm passes. Personally, I loved the depth and complexity of these decisions, as well as the mystery of the roles of other characters. Why does Old Carmen, the local fisherwoman, rescue Mira and her alone? Who is the person creeping around the ruins of her home? What is the fate of the missing Eva? It was all heartbreaking and intriguing.

One thing I wish this novel contained was a little more resolution with Mira's brother, Jasper Lee. He holds a regular presence throughout, but then he disappears almost entirely from the plotline during the third and final part. I would have loved seeing more of him and his mother Mickey. Other than that, I think Beth Kephart produced a winner.

I recommend this book for older high schoolers. Although marketed for ages 14+, I think the richness of language and complexity of plot might make this more suitable for juniors and seniors rather than freshmen or sophmores. Even more so since Mira is 17.

[Hope Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is This is the Story of You by Beth Kephart and while I was reading it I found it to be very interesting. When I first started reading the book, This is the Story of You I thought it was going to be boring. There were a couple of events and the characters that made me think otherwise. One of the characters in this book was Shift. No one really knows who he is, not his last name either. No one has a clue as to who he is. Another character in this book is a girl named Eva. Eva is a close friend to Mira, the main character in the book. An event that changed my mind about this book was when they were trying to fight against a storm. They are telling the story to bring all it’s got, be as strong as it can be. They aren’t going to give up on fighting it.
I like this book because it was very interesting in all the events that happened. The author is very descriptive in what was going on. Also, I liked the characters. Even though we don’t know that much about Shift, he was still a very interesting part to add to the book. I would recommend you to read this book if you like events that have a lot of action.

[Deborah Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very, very beautiful book, more like a very long poem than anything else. It leaves me thinking, sifting through ideas and images, looking for patterns and connections. As I read the book, I knew I should slow down and try to read it more critically, to make it make sense, to dissect and analyze it...but all I wanted to do as I turned the pages was taste the next beauty. Kephart takes exciting risks with language, giving words the freedom to do what they do best even as she requires them to do what she needs them to do for her and for her story. Very impressive. I know that's probably not very helpful, and I'm sorry--I'm going to have to read it again to do it justice. Can't wait.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like I was not always getting what the author was saying in this book. It was nothing like I was expecting, there were some surprises and also some thing's I found predictable and guessed before they were revealed in the story.

[Julia Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the first few pages of the This is the Story of You ARC, the publisher wrote a letter addressed to readers who’ve never read a Beth Kephart book, saying that he envies the experience readers are about to have.
Intrigued, I started reading right away, and I could not stop.

For me, the writing in this book stood out more than the plot. Reading Kephart’s writing was a completely new experience for me as a reader. It was so interesting to visualize the story from the way Kephart describes it. Her writing is poetic and lyrical, and always left me awe-struck from the beauty of her writing.

The plot was overall very interesting, suspenseful, and had a touch of mystery. Facing a natural disaster has always been a great fear of mine, so this story kept me on my toes.

While the writing was captivating, I found Mira’s friends to be very flat characters. Their personalities and attitudes had no realistic variation that while I wanted to like them, I got a bit annoyed by them.
Also, Mira’s mother and brother are very much absent when the plot is coming to an end, and I wanted to see more about how they fared during the storm and Mira’s brother’s condition.
There is a plot twist at the very end (as in second to last page) of the novel which, while shocking, I wished happened earlier.

I give this book a rating of 4 stars because the writing was stunning – and aside from a few minor details, the plot was extremely interesting and unique. I also highly suggest reading this book during the summer or on the beach for utmost experience :)

Please check out beyondthelastpages.wordpress.com for more book reviews! Thanks!

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me an inordinately long time to read such a slim volume. The writing style is a little over the top: littered with long, flowery descriptions and odd turns of phrase, I found myself re-reading sentences and paragraphs. There was definitely no “flow” and I kept putting it down. This Is the Story of You is on our Magnolia Awards longlist though, so I stuck it out until the bitter (and I do mean bitter) end.

The focus is much less on the storm itself and more on the prelude and aftermath of the destruction. Again, the odd descriptions win out over plot. Some of my least favorites:

“I thought of how well my aunt’s clothes had fit the castaway.” What, because a teenager automatically fits into their mom’s clothes from high school??

“Gillian’s earrings ran like black tears down her neck.” Ewwwww.

“She wore a pair of jeans that ran up past her belly and tucked down straight into her camouflage waders—man-size, but they fit her...
She couldn’t have been five foot zero.
She was almighty imposing.” Sooo, if you wear man pants, you’re fat?

“Minister’s daughter, hero’s sister—that was Deni.” I hated how this poor girl was consistently described only in terms of her dead dad and bro. Hated.

The little brother’s illness seemed to serve mainly as plot device, as did Old Carmen’s presence. (And she was my favorite character!) Also? The cat! What cat, after knowing someone for 6 hours, behaves like this? No cat. This is the most dog-like cat ever, and it really irritated me. I’m just rambling and nitpicking now, so I’ll stop. I’m sure this book will be right up some people’s alleys, but it wasn’t to my taste at all.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a while I was really frustrated by the writing style, which seems better suited to short stories where you can really appreciate florid descriptions of a seaside resort town in the off season (not me baby, I am waiting for a super-storm disaster here!).

However, once the storm struck, I definitely got a good deal of the disaster aftermath I crave. They're cut off from the mainland and any associated help for a few days, so it's all about community members making their way to and helping each other as they pick through the waterlogged rubble, salvaging edible food and treating injuries with whatever supplies they have. There's also a cute stray kitten the MC adopts the night before the storm and carries with her throughout the book, and an apparently homeless girl with far more to her story than appears at first glance.

The storm has real stakes -- there are multiple fatalities dealt to named characters -- but there are happy outcomes too. I especially like that by the last few pages, all of the dangling threads resolve and came together in the most satisfying way. I also cried at some point, before I'd even realized I was emotionally invested.

BONUS: this is that rarest of all rare gems in modern YA -- a teenage girl stars in a story that does not involve meeting or being helped by a boy in any way, shape, or form.

[Sarb · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars I don't have feelings anymore, I'm numb to the core. What the heck just happened in this book? I was loving it then i wasn't, then again and again same pace... What. The. Heck. Has. The. World. Gotten. Into?

Just a minor mistakes I had to go through:
First of all, at the starting I had trouble following along and it took maybe a couple or more chapters to know where the person stands in the book. Also, this book has sections and theirs 3 sections and when one section started I got confused on what was happening.

This book was really good but your wondering why did Sarbjot put 3.5 stars on this book and had one minor mistake? Well, the answer folks is, I was on and off with this book I wasn't getting any feelings at first and I was really confused on the story line. This book has A LOT of details but at the same time it moves fast.

This ending I must say was MIND BLOWING TOTALLY! All came together it was a perfect conclusion, loved it :)

This was the story of you book, thanks Beth Kephart for this wonderful journey :)

[AquaMoon]

This has been on and off my TBR list for years, and I finally located a copy through my library.

And I just couldn't get into it. The language/turns of phrases/slang were so strange I couldn't follow what was happening. I wonder if the author was doing this intentionally. Trying to force-feed the reader to see that the characters live in a world vastly apart from the rest by having them use a whole different dialect, but it didn't work. Just alienated me. Three chapters in and I had absolutely no clue what was going on. Maybe the plot picks up and maybe it doesn't (the reviews are mixed on that). But I don't have the patience to slog through to find out for myself.

DNF

And that said, I don't think it fair for me to give this a star rating (because it wouldn't be very high if I did)

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an amazing book! I loved so much! The author uses really amazing words in a certain way and it makes you fell like you are their! It is about this girl and she has a brother that has a type of disease and a mom who works really hard to provide for them. She has an aunt but something happened to her and she doesn't now what. The aunt is dead though and she left her family her house.
There is a huge storm and everything after the storm is the best part! Everyone should read it, it's so amazing!

[Lori Manning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A teenage girl is stuck on an island, without her family, during a terrible storm. In the aftermath, she searches for friends, relies on strangers, deals with loss, and hopes for word from her mother. I really liked this book. It is refreshing to read realistic YA where the teens actually like their families and school. There is a tiny bit of romance with a supporting character, but not much. This book is beautifully written.

[Carly222 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. The writing was magnificent, the prose was so beautiful it read like one long poem, but not overly so where it distracted from what the author was really trying to portray. For anyone who loves the beach--who finds magic in the shells and the sand and the cool water and the salty air--you would enjoy this one. The second half is a little heavier than the first, but it is such a wonderful story.

[Cece · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un libro que definitivamente no es para mí. Demasiado descriptivo, poca acción y un lenguaje que, aunque precioso y poético, cansino para mi gusto. Es un muy buen libro, con una excelente calidad narrativa, pero no es lo que a mí me gusta leer. A pesar de tratar de una tormenta, de supervivencia, apenas ocurre nada en la historia, y únicamente se pone interesante en las últimas 20 páginas.

[Renee Doucette · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story in this book is two (or three) fold. It's about a community, a school, a group of friends. And then it is about a storm, the wreckage, and finding each other. The prose was poetic and much more beautiful than most YA books. The ending felt a little rushed, but the story had a few surprises in the end.

[Book]

I have such a complicated relationship with Beth Kephart books. The language is always so gorgeous-- and in this book I felt like I was right there in Haven with Mira because the setting was so beautifully rendered--but the tension tends to miss the mark for me.

[Jessica Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. I cried. It took a while for everything to be set up, and the writing style is definitely something you have to get used to, but it was worth the read, because everything was brought together perfectly in the end.

[Janet]

Review book for journal so I won't give a rating but I will say it is one of the most beautifully written and compelling YA books that I have read this year.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing story, but I especially love the deceptively simple, luminous language.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually met the author of this book on a cruise to Alaska with my cousin. She used me and my cousin, Gillian's, name in the book!