Book Review: Amethyst, the Shallows

Reviewed by Samantha Hui

Lively, heartfelt, emotionally honest, and, most importantly, fun

“If you have a book–you’re never alone.”

Fear and heartbreak are powerful forces that can lead a person to isolate themselves in the hope of protecting themselves from harm. Though precarious and often leaving one more vulnerable, love may be an even more powerful force that saves us from our self isolation. 

Kellye Abernathy’s Amethyst, the Shallows introduces young audiences to different examples of grief, showing a medley of different personalities dealing with different losses such as a death of a parent, sickness of a family member, or unrequited love. The book teaches that though the pain of loss can feel all consuming, it is a reminder that we had loved in the first place.

“‘Your parents loved each other once. Choose to remember what you’ve seen, and the good part can last forever.’”

In this companion novel to Aquamarine Surfboard, we return to the town of Dipitous Beach. This time, the town is recovering from a global sickness that has killed some, put some on bed rest, and incited feelings of distrust and selfishness. While the story jumps from character to character in Dipitous Beach, the focus seems to fall more heavily on Lorelei’s perspective as she helps her family care for her bedridden mother. She finds herself caught between her relationship with her boyfriend and her love for her mother; the longer her mother seems to fall sick to the illness, the more reasons she finds for distancing herself from her boyfriend Casey.

“The spirit of community created after the town’s recovery from last year’s destructive hurricane was lost. People shrank into their homes, afraid of neighbors and friends.”

When taking some time for herself, Lorelei falls asleep on her surfboard and is submerged underwater. She is rescued by a shimmering rainbow octopus that we later find out is a part of important scientific research. Though some deny Lorelei’s claims that such an octopus exists, there might just be some truth and science in the magic of it all. 

As the novel progresses, the magical realism elements of the underwater world from Aquamarine Surfboard return. However, in Amethyst, the Shallows, the fantastical elements only serve to teach the characters about love, compassion, and memory. Although the book has a talking octopus, giant sea turtles that can be ridden like horses, and teenagers who can breathe underwater, we merely get a glimpse of this underwater world.

“Good scientists are intuitive, and they’re open to improbable occurrences.”

Mr. Huddleston, who is the lead oceanographer at the town’s marine sanctuary, discusses octopuses with Lorelei and her brother Tad. He describes a situation in which an octopus in captivity can release its ink and end up poisoning itself. I found this to be a great representation of how many of the characters in the novel attempt to put up their defense mechanisms, e.g. isolate themselves, be rude and cruel to their loved ones; however, in their attempt to defend themselves from hurt, they actually are the ones to harm themselves. 

There are quite a few storylines in this book: Lorelei researching the shimmering octopus, Kait caring after the rude and elderly Mrs. Hardy as a result of traveling to America for love, Andy’s unrequited love toward Mr. Hardy, and a mourning and angsty Isaac moving in with his father after the death of his beloved mother. Though there are many interweaving storylines, each of the characters are written so sympathetically that I craved to know more and more about each perspective. There are no throwaway characters in this book. 

“Mystical stories are contained in the shaper’s marks of precious old surfboards…courageous stories of times gone by, great tales of wind and weather. The stories wait, ready to be told–but only when the time is right.”

Amethyst, the Shallows is filled with hope, imagination, and love. With the sickness in the novel portraying a fictionalized version of the recent pandemic, readers young and old are sure to deepen their understanding of community, connection, and love. Readers will be charmed by the liveliness and mysticism of the sea while engrossed in the character development of the inhabitants of Dipitous Beach.

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