Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Length: 288 pages
Genera: Contemporary
Subjects: Rebirth, Islands, Survival
How I obtained the book: Netgalley, eARC
Rating: ✭
In this stunning, reverse dystopian story, readers will see their own world in a whole new light
Sky and River have always lived on Island, the only world they’ve ever known. Until River spots a boat. Across Ocean, in a place called California, Sky is separated from River and forced to live with a grandmother she’s just met. Here the rules for survival are different. People rely on strange things like cars and cell phones. They keep secrets from one another. Without River, nothing makes sense. Sky yearns for her old life where she was strong and capable, not lost and confused. She must find River so they can return to Island, but the truth behind how they ended up there in the first place will come as the biggest shock of all.
Searching for Sky is an incredibly unrealistic portrayal of a girl lived away from all civilization and brought back into the US. I’m not exactly an ‘expert’ in psychology or anything like that but even I could tell exactly how stupid Cantor’s take on this ‘reverse dystopia’.
I feel like all Sky’s psychologists and doctors failed to do their job. This is a girl who was raised on an island almost all her life. She had no idea what a toilet was or even a door. There were no buildings on her island. Her psychologists didn’t do a single thing to help her adjust to her new world. They didn’t even tell her what a door was for gods sake. She spent quite a few pages calling it a ‘coming in place’ instead of a door.
If you take a look at When We Wake, Tegan’s rehabilitation and introduction to the new futuristic society is slow and gradual but comprehensive. The doctors basically told her that “Here you go we’ve got different things here off the island. Here’s a toilet. Figure out how to use it. Have fun, lmao.”
That’s not how anyone would do it and it completely ruined any immersion for me. I just felt like I was yanked out of the story every time Sky doesn’t understand a concept. Do you really think no one would explain to her the concept of using money in exchange for goods, or even just bartering?? No one would just expect Sky to handle everything on her own!
Sky’s characterization was incredibly weak. Her entire character was based off of the fact that she is from an island and knows nothing. Basically every page somehow talks about how ‘Ohh! Poor Sky! She doesn’t know anything!” I understand how hard it is to go from one environment to a radically different environment, and especially without any real help but having that as her only character trait isn’t going to make me feel anything for Sky, regardless of her situation.
Her romantic relationship with her, for all practical purposes, step-brother was mildly disturbing and not romantic at all. I definitely viewed their relationship as more fraternal rather than romantic. Their parents were an item and it seemed like they were raised more as siblings than friends so when their relationship turned romantic I checked out.
Overall, the book wasn’t impressive and I regret the time I spent on it. I definitely don’t recommend it – nor am I planning on reading any other books by the author.
