Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Gr 9 Up–Even though Reiko Smith-Mori lost her beloved sister Mika, Reiko still has frequent imagined conversations with her. She has a hard time talking to anyone else about her loss and can’t handle the idea of going back to the ocean, where Mika died. Reiko’s grief provides the emotional backbone for this thoughtful novel. Reiko loves the vastness of the desert and sometimes sneaks out in the middle of the night to go rock climbing, which is where she gets to know Seth, a boy from her school who she’s never really noticed before. They start a secret relationship, with Reiko being unsure about how to handle their very different social statuses. As Seth eventually becomes integrated into the higher social strata, Reiko feels more uncertain about her own position and privilege. Webber does a good job showing the complexities of shifting social landscapes in high school. The story stretches out over a long period of time, which highlights the many different phases that Reiko’s and Seth’s often toxic relationship goes through. Reiko’s family seems a bit underdrawn, although they are all dealing with Mika’s death in their own way. Watching Reiko better understand her grief and eventually learn to love herself is a satisfying journey.