Fishtailing

by Wendy Phillips

Teen violence, bullying and the burning quest to fit in are presented in the poems of four unforgettable high school Natalie, Kyle, Tricia, Miguel. Their stories unfold in this explosive new book told in free verse. A story of teen angst like no other, it is based on fictional characters but is rooted in the realities of the teen experience. When Natalie moves to a new high school she befriends three unwitting victims into her spider-web of manipulations, lies and deceit. Through the poetry and assignments of an English class we glimpse the world of the four teens. Natalie, whose alcoholic parents, years of neglect and ultimate rape by her father's friend has shaped her into a cruel and manipulative teen; Tricia, dealing with her blended family, is drawn into Natalies' forbidden world of partying and rebellion; Kyle, a would-be musician is in love with Tricia and Miguel who lusts for Natalie while hiding the secrets of his family. The story weaves us through their poetry, their lives and culminates at a party where the four lives fishtail out of control. English class will never be the same.

Genres: Poetry, Young Adult, Canada, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Contemporary, High School

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Wendy began her first novel at the age of 11, climbing the hills behind her hometown of Kamloops, B.C. to scribble in notebooks. Her love for words has led her into jobs as a journalist, a bookbinder, an English teacher, and a high-school teacher-librarian. She holds degrees in Journalism, English, Education, and Children’s Literature. She has lived in Ottawa, in Lesotho, Southern Africa, and in Australia. She and her husband currently live in Richmond, B.C., with their two children.

Fishtailing is her first book.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a depressing read but I enjoyed it. Very quick read. I think it's interesting how much of the criticism of the book in the reviews is that the adults are portrayed as being insensitive and unhelpful. But that's what makes it so realistic. This isn't some fantasy novel. This book really encapsulates the high school experience. Teens making poor decisions, falling in with the wrong crowd, struggling with serious issues, and getting no help or support from adults. Not even knowing how to properly ask for help or support, but yet they are clearly crying out for help in the poetry they submit. Several times the English teacher says stuff like "please stop writing such nihilistic poetry, put some optimism in your poetry, don't write about such depressing topics" as if simply not writing about your pain will make it go away. Just hide everything so you don't disturb anyone else. The English teacher says something like "I've seen enough teenage angst in my several years of teaching, I can't save them, I can only teach them to write."

[Petra Willemse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh this made me mad! First it's a book written all in poems to submit to their English teacher. Ok - kind of an overdone technique nowadays, but I was willing to go with it. However, what I hated was the portrayal of the adults. Why is it that some YA authors decide that the only way to appeal to teens is to make the adult figures into complete insensitive twits? This book can be read in less than an hour, but I'm not sure you should even spend that much time on it.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful, inevitable trainwreck: Phillips writes a siren song that lures you to the rocks that were visible from the earliest pages, leaving blood in the water and a single ray of sunshine to warm those left weeping aboard what remains of the ship.

[Shy · Rating 2 out of 5]

usually i am all for books written in verse but this one was...awful.
not the poetry itself but the story line was all jumbled with every single page being a different character which completely threw me off. half the time i didn't know which perspective i was reading from.
two stars because the content was good. the book in general was a mistake. a knock off Ellen Hopkins, if you will.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in under an hour. It made me furious. But also it broke my heart. As an educator, the response of adults to the cries for help are maddening. But I can’t say that it’s not realistic in in some places. I was sorting poetry books in my librarian when I found this and I’m so glad.

[VickiLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetic rendering of high school life for four teenagers. Captivating and painful.

[audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finished in 1 hour😧 lowkey crazy bc this has been sitting unread on my bookshelf for literally years

I don’t know what’s with me lately and getting the wrong impressions from the books I read but I really thought there would be more representation in this book. for some reason I thought it was by an indigenous author about indigenous teenagers? Maybe because I was given the absolutely true diary of a part time Indian at the same time I was given this but I was really surprised. Then I thought it was by an indigenous author about just teenagers of colour, then realized the author wasn’t even indigenous and only 2/4 characters were poc. I also was convinced Trisha had a crush on Natalie and turns out she didn’t. What is going on! Also it’s set in Vancouver! I didnt know that!
Anyway, I think that like with Circe the book disappointed me because I had more progressive expectations going in. The books aren’t even bad I just feel like my images of them are tainted. I was saying to myself that this book needed to do something that surprised me or I would be actually let down. And I think the ending was just surprising enough that it redeemed itself. I found the characters interesting and didn’t mind the depiction of adults (maybe because I’m still a teenager tho).

[––––•(-•The Insomniac Book Hoarder•- · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written entirely in verse, this book tells a story about violence, belonging/acceptance and trauma. Not much I could say, other than I hated the faculty and their need to force their ideals of normalcy and acceptance on the school body.

The ‘adults’ in this book, made me want to give them a high five to the face. They were disconnected, apathetic to the plights to the cries for help from the student body.

I personally did not care much for any of the MCs because as teenagers mostly are, they are are selfish, easily swayed and the constant need for instant gratification (apologies for my generalisation). Add to that, an MC who has had to deal with sexual abuse as well as clear negligence; and instead of care and help, they are met with animosity and shipped off.

An okay read, but it made me thankful that when I was younger I had such an amazing support network in and outside of my own family unit- these kids not so much.

[Joshua__Chou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fishtailing, by Wendy Phillips is a book written in verse to tell the story of four high school students. Natalie’s harsh upbringing has transformed her, giving her a special knack for rebellion; Tricia is drawn into Natalie’s world of chaos and disunity because of her family ties; Kyle, seeks after the heart of Tricia with his musician dreams; and Miguel seeks Natalie while keeping his own family secrets as their own mysteries. What was intriguing about this book is that it is written using poems to tell the story. While it was interesting to read a story written with poems, it ultimately made it hard for me to understand the characters. Although I did not like all of the book, I did like the character Kyle as he starts his journey as an insecure and shy teen, nervous around the person he likes.

[Evonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really well done. Four teens and two adults whose stories tangle together in the form of poetry and staff memos. Five stories with six narrators. Really insightful. This author has met a few teenagers in her time. Striking imagery, revealing metaphor, suspenseful ambiguity. Really well done.

A quick read. Won't take more than a couple of hours out of your weekend.

[Renee Rochel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This honestly was more entertaining than I expected. I really enjoyed the students' poetry and looked forward to hating the teachers response as much as I know the students would've if it was real. It all felt authentic to me, albeit a little extra emo at times.

[Kinsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a teenager, I related to this book. It was a quick read but taking the time to understand the text matters. It was depressing and somewhat realistic, especially how adults handle the situation of these students. Fishtailing was a comforting read to me. This book deserves more stars than it has!

[Sophie Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good poetry book. Definitely recommend for teenagers and even adults! I loved the way all the characters intertwined with each other without it totally giving it away. Gives you a different perspective of how the human experience is for different kids from different walks of life.

[Piers Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I would have enjoyed this more if I read it when I was a teenager. Though teenagers tend to hate things that feel too real so maybe I wouldn't have. Either way it was a unique way to tell a story but the ending left me wanting more.
Would recommend with a trigger warning

6/10

[Sasquatch · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5.

[Bri · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, fast-paced ride through various perspectives in prose fashion. Read it in one afternoon on the beach. Enjoyed it.

[Jen Giffen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving book written in verse. Loved the character development. Laughed and cried.

Great for a high school audience warning of sexual assault and self harm/suicide

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love novel in verse and Fishtailing is a great example of how to use minimal text to weave a strong narrative.
The characters are so real and believable.

[rosh ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

lowkey had me disturbed for a few hours. loved natalie at first then didnt like how she influenced tricia and then HAD HER SH?😭 kyle is so kenji coded and i love it

[Jeffrey Greening · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quality “poetry novel” a genre I don’t normally like let alone recommend .

[Reanna Thiessen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A commentary on the reality of teachers watching and observing the downfall. And saying nothing until it is too late.

[Emma Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Liz at Midnight Bloom Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I kind of wished I had read the plot description before I began reading this novel. I mean, I did read the one on the back of the novel, but it's in a lot less detail so as soon as I began reading, I had no idea what was really going on since I knew next to nothing about the characters except their names and that they attended high school. That's not exactly much to go on and for me, whenever I start reading a book, I like to have some sort of basis for what I'm getting myself into... but nonetheless, I did finally learn more about the character's backgrounds as I read and everything became so much clearer!

Fishtailing is definitely a novel I would consider a bit out of my element. Told completely in free verse, it centers around the lives of four teenagers- Natalie, Tricia, Kyle, and Miguel- and how their lives intersect, beginning with how they share an English class together. Depressed Tricia is torn by her mixed heritage and finds herself drawn into Natalie's dark world as she becomes closer friends with the new girl. The always quiet Miguel harbours a dark secret from his past but find himself attracted to Natalie. And then the most normal of the bunch, Kyle, has a major crush on Tricia but finds himself at odds about his future and following his dreams to become a musician.

It only took me just over an hour to read Fishtailing, but I was surprised by how dark the novel turned out to be. In so few words, Wendy Phillips writes a gritty tale of four teens struggling to deal with life and their circumstances. To put it mildly, they're very troubled but no one is there to really help them. I'll only exclude Kyle because I saw him rather as a beacon of hope... and honestly, if it weren't for him lightening up the moments with his strong feelings for Tricia, it could have been an outright depressing read. The adults, particularly their English teacher, just have no idea how these teens are really feeling.

It was rather difficult for me to think of how to rate the novel since the way it's written is different than what I'm used to, so it's not like I have something to compare it by to other novels told in free verse style, but I think three stars is still the safe bet since I did find myself liking it.

If you think you're up for a quick read that takes you out of your reading comfort zone, I think Fishtailing will be right up your alley. Once you get into the style of writing, you won't set the book down, transfixed by this hard-hitting tale set in Western Canada that Wendy Phillips seems to effortlessly weave.

*Fishtailing is nominated for the 2011 White Pine Award and and is the 2010 recipient of the Governor General's Literary Award for Children's Literature, English text.*

[cathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

school reading.

[Rhiannon Ryder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me just start by saying I haven't read poetry (outside of books with a smidgen here or there, largely as chapter headers), since my University days; which, according to my resume, is starting to be some time ago. I wouldn't say I don't enjoy it, but I don't actively look for it. So when Coteau books sent me Fishtailing and I realised it was a collection of poetry making up a story, I was intrigued but not enough to bump it to the top of the pile.
Don't make my mistake!

Beautifully written, Wendy Phillips manages to capture the emotional turmoil of four very different teenagers who come together with an explosive ending. Natalie, battling with deep childhood scars, Miguel a refugee who has experienced horrors beyond anything anyone around him can understand, Tricia, trying to find her place in the world, and Kyle struggling with secret dreams and desires.

The poems, interspersed with commentaries and memos from their English teacher Mrs Farr and their counselor Ms Nishi, although notably more accomplished then I remember anyone being in highschool, still manage to capture the turbulent emotions and sense of not belonging but wanting to I remember so well. Mrs. Farr's ignorant commentaries on the teenagers attempts to be honest about their problems through the poetry are clear reminders of similarly blind teachers at my Highschool.
As a good student I had several teachers make derogatory comments about other students to me (some of them my friends) that even at the time I found shocking and surprising. Mrs. Farr sounds so like them in her notes it was as if she was plucked from my own Teenage experience.

A really great read, I highly recommend Fishtailing as the counterpoint to the average persons to-be-read pile. And for those faint of heart people who think they can't wade their way through poetry, I assure you, it reads just as smoothly as your regular reading, no cole notes required!

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

Reviewed by Rachel Seigel

Miguel, Kyle, Tricia and Natalie are four teens whose lives are spinning out of control. Miguel has come from a wartorn country somewhere in Central America. Kyle is a musician with a romantic soul who longs for Natalie to notice him, and Tricia — half Japanese, half white — feels like the odd girl out in her mother’s new, perfect, white family. And then there’s Natalie: emotionally damaged in horrifying ways, she becomes the master puppeteer in the other teens’ lives, playing a game that can only end in tragedy.

This debut novel by author Wendy Phillips, told entirely in verse and in six voices, touches on a number of difficult topics such as bullying, abuse and cutting. The poems of the teens alternate between each character’s internal thoughts, which move the action along, and the assignments they are completing for class, which are often dark and emotionally raw. The adult voices of the teacher Mrs. Farr and the guidance councilor Mrs. Nishi are represented primarily through either the teacher’s notes to her students or through their emails back and forth about the students, filling in some of the background information. Occasionally, the reader is given a glimpse into the thoughts of these two women, but the primary focus is on the teens.

The poems are excellent and the author beautifully captures the complex emotions of the teens. The language is spare, yet each of the poems contain important pieces of the puzzle, merging together to create a story. This format, while satisfying for a sophisticated reader, may pose challenges for a weak or reluctant reader who is unused to drawing inferences to derive meaning.

Fast paced, and often heartbreaking, this novel offers the reader much to discuss and think about long after reading.

Canadian Children's Book News (Summer 2010, Vol. 33, No. 3)

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting, and very quick, read. "Fishtailing" is written from the points of view of six different characters -- four high school students (two female, two male), an English teacher, and a guidance counselor -- and the story is told almost entirely in poetry, rather than prose, reminiscent of Ellen Hopkins' "Crank". I wasn't sure what quality of poetry to expect going in, but much of it was rather good, and the poems were all written in convincingly teenage voices.

I didn't find the characters as well-developed as they could be. Miguel had an interesting history, but a cliched end to his arc; Natalie was somewhat believable as a sociopath, but often slipped into a straight-up "bad girl" cliche; Tricia's transformation felt like it happened too quickly, and without enough motivation. Kyle's character growth felt more realistic to me, though, and Mrs. Farr, the English teacher, was frustratingly believable, while still borderline sympathetic. Janice Nishi, the counselor, felt more like another window through which to view the other five characters than a real person, but as a device, that worked for me.

On the whole, though, I'm willing to cut "Fishtailing" some slack based on its somewhat experimental style. There's a hell of a lot less space to develop round characters when you're expressing their personalities exclusively through short poems, rather than prose. Wendy Phillips does a pretty good job of building plot and characters through and unusual format.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thought provoking. I had to read on to solve the first few mysteries like: Who is each person and what is their background? Then when romance becomes involved, I had to try and see who was talking about who. I wanted to know who one person liked and how that other person felt about it. Would the relationships be safe, sexual, violent? Would they be sweet highschool crushes, or would all the drama play out too?

Once I solved these things and re-assessed what was going on, I understood.

The format in which this book is written is AMAZING! I have never heard or seen of anything like this. It is so original and unique...and clever. I can't tell you how it works out, you just have to read the book.

There are a dew nasty parts of the book and I cringe even typing about it.
*READER'S WARNING* I don't know why I didn't put the pieces together, but on the front cover of the book is a razor blade...yes, there is descriptive cutting in this book. I had to skip that page after reading a few words, I can't deal.

The crazy twist and mistake at the climax is crazy. It's horrible, but in a great way. I did find it almost cliche though.

The ending of the book was shocking. I thought something completely different was going to happen. Now, had I been in the right mindset, I probably could have seen it coming, but I was so into what was going on right at the present moment that I turned a blind eye.

The ending is both sad and hopeful. I also completly give up on Natalie. And what was Tricia thinking!?

[Tara Schuhmacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Juggling four perspectives is a lot, but this story was well written, and definitely one that stays with you even after you turn the last page.

Lots of different thoughts and themes that can be pulled from this story, some might say disturbing ones, but sometimes that's life.

[Coreena McBurnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary:
This is the story of four teens in high school dealing with issues of abuse, bullying, racism, violence, fitting in, and following your dreams. Wendy Philips tells the story in free verse poetry, each character with their own voice, also with input from two of their teachers.

My Thoughts:
I wasn't sure about this book when I saw that it was written in poetry, but it was interesting and different kind of book to read. Fishtailing also won the Governor General's Literary Award.

At first, I got a bit confused about the characters, but their voices came through fairly quickly (each page is a poem by one of each of the four characters). The stories of these four teenagers "fishtail" together in English class, with notes from the English teacher and school councilor. The issues that these teens are dealing with are very brutal and horrifying, and the poetry worked for this. All of the details did not have to be spelled out, but the language of the poetry gave more than enough to understand the full situation. The words are sparse, but packed and I found it amazing how much we could learn about a situation in so few words - this is the power of the poetry. I really felt for the characters, trying to make sense of the world as well as some issues much too big for them to handle. Fishtailing is an intense, fast read that will linger with you.