The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin

The hitch is that Suzy must get to Australia, and she sets off on a journey that will involve not just lying to her family and other risky acts but also the realization - both crushing and liberating - that nothing she has done, is doing or ever will do can bring Franny back.Īlong the way, the reader learns many fascinating facts about jellyfish of all kinds, the scientific method, the accomplishments of the long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, cosmology and the expanding universe, zombie ants, the sixth mass extinction and many other science topics. Together they will prove that when things happen, they happen for a reason. Together they will explain the inexplicable and write a new and better ending to Franny’s story.

Her obsession leads her to track down a jellyfish expert who lives on the other side of the globe.

Some scientists believe that deaths from its venom have been mistakenly attributed to other causes, and Suzy latches on to the idea that an Irukandji was the villain in the story of Franny’s death. Suzy knows her estranged friend was a strong swimmer, so she does not believe the adults’ explanation that “sometimes things just happen.” While on a school trip to the local aquarium, Suzy sees an exhibit of jellyfish, including the tiny, practically invisible Irukandji jelly, one of the most venomous creatures on the planet, with a sting that can result in painful and gruesome death. This former chatterbox ends up sitting in a child psychologist’s office for 45 minutes every week, refusing to speak to her therapist. Suzy’s parents have also recently divorced, and in her multilayered grief and confusion she has descended into selective mutism. Franny had joined a new clique of popular girls when they reached middle school, and we learn that Suzy, feeling powerless to stop their gradual estrangement, had tried some bizarre behavior in a desperate, failed attempt to woo her friend back. Our protagonist and narrator is Suzy Swanson, whose former best friend, Franny, has drowned while swimming in a calm sea. One that fits the bill is Ali Benjamin’s heartfelt and fascinating fiction debut, “The Thing About Jellyfish,” which has been nominated for a 2015 National Book Award. Such books come around so infrequently that special attention should be paid to them when they do.

With all the emphasis today’s educators and policy makers are placing on the STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and mathematics - you would think there would be a steady stream of novels capable of inspiring young girls to consider a future in those fields.

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin