Drawn in by the title, then by the promise of murder, I was led in an unexpected direction by this book. Ocean State is the nickname for Rhode Island, and the title is appropriate, as this story captures the sense of this place at this time. The opening line, “When I was in eighth grade my sister helped kill another girl.” speaks of the tragedy that will slowly unfold in this setting. No murder mystery here, as we know the victim and perpetrator from the first sentence. This story is told from the perspectives of four characters: Carol, mother of two daughters, Angel and Marie; and Birdy, the victim. The action takes place in the greater Westerly, RI area, from Ashaway and Hopkinton to the beach at Weekapaug. As a resident of neighboring North Stonington, CT, I can tell you the author is faithful to this geography—his characters drive down roads very familiar to me, past landmarks and businesses everyone here will know: Westerly High School and Public Library, Granite Street from D’Angelos to CVS, to the beautiful homes of Weekapaug. O’Nan captures the specific natural beauty of this area, the salt marshes, ponds, beaches in all seasons, the woods. Even Ashaway Line & Twine, still a going concern, is instead depicted as a long-shuttered employer in the area. The author captures the sense of a thriving past lost, as is the case in many New England towns and villages, a center of textile production long lost to the movement overseas. Westerly was once known nationwide for its granite, used in many Civil War and early twentieth century monuments and buildings.

The story is about the teens and their emotional and social lives, how social media amplifies their successes and failures, and is used to manipulate and harm others. One truly sees how little control parents have over their teens’ lives, influencing where they can, but many on the sidelines, hopefully watching and praying for their children. Teens have all the power to stay on track or fall off in any number of ways, from drugs to pregnancy; or in this case, relationships lived with such emotional intensity that when viewed with the approaching split of college, become desperate. Angel and Myles, a son of a local wealthy family, have been dating for three years. Angel, whose working-class parents divorced years ago, and whose mother is a nursing aid at The Elms, an assisted living and nursing home, has moved repeatedly with her mother and sister, as her mother Carol has been in numerous sketchy relationships and cannot lift them out of their life on the margin. Knowing Myles has cheated on her a few times, and increasingly agitated and threatened by his inevitable departure for college at URI, Angel grows intense and violent towards both Myles and his latest object of infidelity.

Birdy has dated Hector for three years, and their families are socially intertwined. Birdy’s father died when she was young, although she retains happy memories of her time with him. She seems to feel trapped by her relationship with Hector, having witnessed her older sister’s early marriage and baby, we can feel Birdy’s need to reach beyond this pre-determined life path. Her infidelity with Myles shows her another life is possible, as she reaches for it, then realizes it was never to be. Angel and Myles share a dysfunctional relationship, one of intense dominance and submission, and Birdy becomes the untimely victim of their twisted bond.

Marie, the younger sister of Angel, is interestingly obsessed with the book To Kill a Mockingbird, for her position is much like that of Scout, the smart yet youthfully innocent observer of this terrible tragedy. Marie is constantly prowling for clues to her mother’s and her sister’s lives, watching their comings and goings, digging through their closets and trash, trying to figure out what is going on and how it will affect her. Marie is often dumped at her grandmother’s house, as an alternative to leaving her alone at home, or is forced to take care of her neighbor’s special needs daughter, an embarrassing and unwelcome task, but often her only social contact. She is a loner at school, and her life is observing everyone else living their lives.

This is a story of today’s teens, the pressures of social lives made worse by social media; the lack of parental contact and relationships, since they are consumed with their jobs, economic situation, and relationships; and the difficulty for teens of launching their young lives, made worse by lack of economic opportunity. We live in a beautiful area, as the young characters often observe, from the midst of their relationship, social, and emotional strife. A beautiful, intense novel, and a perfect summer read. I could not put it down.