See What I See: Review

Title: See What I See
Author: Gloria Whelan
Release Date: December 2010
Published By: HarperTeen
Pages: 208
Goodreads Rating: 3.53 stars

Review: Kate's art is everything to her, so she's thrilled for the chance to go to art school in Detroit on scholarship. The only thing she needs is a place to stay, and that place is the apartment of Dalton Quinn, famous and reclusive artist - also known as her father. Except she hasn't seen nor heard from him in ten years, and he doesn't exactly welcome her with open arms. Things only get worse when she discovers how ill her father is and gives up everything to take care of him. But as time goes on, she works herself into his life, his mind, and his heart.

This is a deceptively simple story, dealing with illness, divorce, and acceptance with beautiful prose that flows off the page. SEE WHAT I SEE is a sad book, but amazingly well-written in that it manages to convey the sadness without dipping into self-pity or being overbearingly depressing. Although Kate suffers through many hardships, this is overall an uplifting book with a satisfying whole ending.

If I had to make one criticism about this book, I would say that I had a little bit of trouble connecting with Kate. It might just be me since I haven't read any other reviews agreeing with this, but I felt somewhat distant from her and her story. If I could have felt a little more involved and immersed in this book, I probably would have enjoyed it even more. This is not to say I didn't like it, of course, because I liked this very much.

Not a lot of YA fiction deals with college life or protagonists quite this old, so SEE WHAT I SEE was a breath of fresh air. Gloria Whelan tells a uniquely crafted story with meaningful themes of family, identity, and love that anyone can relate to. Though some may find the protagonist difficult to connect to, all in all, this was a masterfully written book that will leave almost everyone eager for Whelan's next.