Goodbye to Atlantis

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Winnipeg,
Manitoba.

“To start being Seriously Mature” days vie with “normal, just
plain old me” days for Stella MacLeod, 14, as she eagerly anticipates
an upcoming summer trip to Cornwall with her Dad and his “weird
girlfriend,” Skye. Stella compares Skye, an artist, unfavorably with
her late mother, a fashion designer to whose glamorous image Stella
aspires. Unfortunately, Dad breaks his leg in a canoeing accident;
fortunately, Stella still visits Cornwall, albeit under Skye’s
unwelcome supervision.

Stella’s excitement suffers a setback when the “tall, dark Cornish
cousin,” Nicholas, barely acknowledges her presence. However, his
dashing father Richard seems only too eager to welcome Stella so he can
go about his antique business while Stella entertains his son. After
Stella and Nicholas join forces in a rescue operation, their
relationship undergoes a positive change. Stella enjoys her holiday and
Nicholas’s companionship until, inadvertently, she stows away aboard
Richard’s sailboat and discovers he moonlights by smuggling illegal
immigrants.

Both teens must confront difficulties. Nicholas struggles with his
father’s indifference and the knowledge of his criminal activity.
Stella resents Skye and strives to live up to her vision of her
mother’s image. Fortuitously, an elderly relative provides Stella with
additional information about her mother. Stella finally understands
“that my mother belonged to Atlantis, a world that was gone. But I was
traveling into the future.”

The quantity of issues Harrison crams into the story—smoking,
anorexia, loss of a parent, twins, human trafficking, the fashion
industry, appearance versus reality, commercialism, youth/adult
relationships, ethics—tend to be somewhat overwhelming in terms of
their sheer quantity. However, Stella and Nicholas are appealing, modern
teens who struggle with problems young readers will recognize, accept,
and understand. Harrison’s award-winning prequel, A Bushel of Light,
featured Stella’s grandmother, Maggie, in a historical coming-of-age
novel. Recommended.