BOOK REVIEW: To Hear the Ocean Sigh by Bryant A. Loney

To Hear the Ocean Sigh by Bryant A. Loney

Genres: Young Adult

Published Date: August, 2015

Publisher: Verona Booksellers

Pages: 276

Format: Ebook 

Rating: 4*

Synopsis: 

Jay Murchison believes he is a nobody at his high school in Oklahoma. Coming from a conservative family of affordable luxury, Jay has an overwhelming desire to become something great. After a mysterious girl named Saphnie in North Carolina mistakenly texts him, an unlikely relationship develops that affects Jay’s self-perception and influences the rest of his sophomore year. This correspondence leads him to a group of thrill-seekers who provide a grand departure from the quiet life Jay is familiar with and eye-opening experiences to witness first-hand the truth behind the loose morals his fellow classmates have come to know. 

In a story filled with injustice, hope, hatred, love, grief, and understanding, readers will ask themselves what it truly means to hear the ocean sigh and learn of the dire consequences that come with its responsibilities.

Review:

(I received a copy of this book from Verona Booksellers in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion on the novel or its author.)

Where should I even start? I have several things that I want to point out that I'm seriously afraid I'll even mix up my thoughts.

Well, let's start with the 2 characters I liked the most, which are one of the things that made me like and reflect so much about this book.

First of all, Jay Murchison. One word: Loner. More than one word: Someone afraid to trust anyone, afraid of being left at a corner alone, unpopular/unknown. This doesn't mean he's not a great character, which he actually is. Why? We get to see him grow up in a couple a months, experience several things most teens do, create friendships, make mistakes and learn with them but most important, experience several psychological feelings. We get to experience the ''teenage years'' through his eyes and his personal experience. His perspective in life and the meaning of it changes a lot. He goes from believing he had a good life without any friend and anyone for him to care about besides his family, to accepting that you make mistakes and have to live with it's consequences but life goes on; you suffer major loses but you learn with those or the people you lose. What made me like Jay even more was that although it took him some time, in the end he truly understood people, mainly Saphnie. He could see their ''true colors'' and for that I congratulate the author for doing such a great job with this character that for some could look like some regular teenager but is indeed a very complicated mind who observes and analyzes his surroundings. 

The other character of course it's Saphnie (how obvious of me). What we get to know from her is mostly the information she provides through the messages she exchanges with Jay, although we get some extra info from other secondary characters which is quite helpful to get to understand her a little more. I think she's the most complicated character of this book since we only get to really understand her almost at the end of the story were a lot of incidents happen and a lot is revealed. She was like a philosophical person who would analyze everything and question it. 

Saphnie gave some great advises to Jay but her perspective in life was the opposite of him. Where he was a loner, she had many friends; where he was unpopular, she was the other way around. What she had was what Jay wanted but all Saphnie wanted (in my opinion) was basically to know the purpose of everything, like did good people die, why did life had to be so complicated, why was she misunderstood? She needed someone to understand her mind and, in a way, her heart. 

Besides the characters, the writing could be complex and simple at the same time. When I got to read the messages exchanged between Jay and Saphnie, I would always get eager to read more of it because the difference between them both was quite obvious but so well written, funny, sentimental and helpful. While Jay was like every other teenager, Saphnie was very articulate and expressive in her messages.

But the high point of Bryant's writing and imagination, are his inspirational moments in the story which I shall quote one:

''Even if all someone ever reads is fan fiction, any form of writing is a beautiful thing, and we must not waste precious time trying to understand the intention of the author. Rather, we should decide what the story means to us.''

And with this quote I will all decide, or rather, say that this story means to me. A lot. It means a lot and it made me see life in a different way. Sometimes we take life for granted, we don't risk and keep with our routines afraid that one day we may lose it all but nothing stays the same forever. In one moment you think that your friends are the best you have and the next one you just dump all your emotions on top of someone and finally lose your emotional control. Like Jay in the beginning, we should try to make the best choices for our lives but like Jay throughout the book, we should live and enjoy it to the fullest because all we have and know, one day could disappear and that special one who actually hears you, understands you, the one who ''hears you sigh'' could be gone in a second.

I finished reading the book at 06:00 AM and then kept staring at a wall thinking: What is life? Why do we breathe? Okay, maybe not those questions actually, but I tried to pick this book story and compared it to my life and the choices I've been doing or might do. It was almost like a ''realization moment''.

Once again I congratulate the author Bryant Loney for writing such a complex and yet funny book with great inspirational sentences and moments.

I recommend this to everyone!! Even if this isn't the type of book you would read, it wasn't mine but I've certainly do not regret reading it whatsoever and it was an awesome experience to read something more realistic and out of my reading comfort zone.