A review by thestorydragon
A Sea of Unspoken Things by Adrienne Young

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Pros:
✨Audiobook Narration 
✨Character Development
✨Introspection and Inner Monologue 
✨Immersive Atmosphere
✨Beautiful Prose 
✨Development of Complex Sibling Relationship

Cons:
✨Flat Romantic Interest
✨Slow Pacing (I enjoyed this, but it could be a big turn-off for some readers)

Adrienne Young’s writing never fails to craft an atmosphere that leaves goosebumps. It truly feels like sinking into the world through mist and loam. Despite a mix of magical realism, slow-burn mystery, second-chance-romance, and more, what really sets this apart is the character study of James. We explore the relationship between character and self, character and family, character and community, and character and nature. This deep examination is what makes the story slow. And I really do mean that we set out crawling and don’t pick up the pace until the second half of the novel when the mystery begins to unfold. I, for one, don’t mind this!

James’s development was executed well, and I feel that we really got to know her and Johnny. I found Johnny’s character to be the most fascinating, however. He depicted a darker side of humanity, wrapped up in a violent loyalty to the things he loves in life. Thanks to the empathic connection between James and Johnny, we’re exposed to his emotions and reactions first-hand, as well as momentary pockets of his life. 

The reveal that he was killing predatory owl species to protect the one he wished to keep safe was a thoughtfully twisted connection to his protection of James and the events of the past. Watching James grapple with the possibility that Johnny might have been involved with a student, and her dread that she thought he could, even as she refused to believe he would, made my gut churn.

 These were complex, morally gray characters. 

There is a romance here, but it’s perhaps the least developed part of the novel. Micah remained a relatively flat character who was a part of the story to give support to James, and to fill in some information regarding Johnny. He didn’t stand alone. Because of this, the relationship never felt fleshed out.

The mystery itself builds piece by piece, coming together as James learns more about her brother’s life after she fled to art school in the city. The more she learns of the people in the town, the more connections she can make, and I appreciate how every wrong conclusion feels believable.

Although I’ve been able to pick out the twists in Young’s other novels, I didn’t expect one of them here, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Young leaves readers to decide whether they believe Olivia’s part in Autumn’s death was truly an accident that she took advantage of (reminiscent of Kuang’s Yellowface), or if there was a more sinister, murderous motive afoot.

The darker sides of humanity in this novel feel real for just how easy it is to slide down into them and get lost in the shadows.

I listened to this on audio, and Christine Lakin does an excellent job of bringing these characters and this story to life.

If you’ve read Spells for Forgetting, we get a lot of similar themes here. Past and present relationships are explored, an accident from the past that sent the protagonist running from their small home town still haunts them and the community, a second-chance romance that fell apart after said accident and running is revisited, vibes, vibes, vibes.

I feel that Young is an author you’ll either love, or find mediocre. If you aren’t connecting with James and hooked within the first few chapters (which I obviously was), then I doubt you’ll engage at all. Young’s style is consistent, and what you get at the beginning is what you’ll get throughout. But boy, do I adore the thought and scenery behind her tales!

My favorite of hers is The Unmaking of June Farrow and I will recommend that novel to anyone and everyone until my dying breath!