Book Review: Ginny Rorby’s Lost in the River of Grass by Brigita Orel

This young adult novel is about growing up, friendship, love, adventure, love of nature, discovering one’s potential and much more.

Sarah is feeling unhappy and lonely on her school trip to the Everglades because her classmates at her new school refuse to accept her. Fed up with their unfriendly attitude, she accepts a boy’s invitation for a ride with an airboat. But a small mistake forces Sarah and Andy to fight for survival in the inhospitable river of grass.

The plot and setting work together in creating a gripping story right from the start. The reader is at first slowly and gently introduced to the Everglades through the school trip, but then, once Sarah and Andy land at the camp, we are thrown right in with the gators and water moccasins. Descriptions of this wild, dangerous but beautiful nature are incredibly well done. It shows that the author knows what she’s writing about; the details create an overwhelmingly real setting and I shivered more than once at the vivid images of dangerous animal encounters or pure grossness.

The fact that most of the story focuses on only two characters gave the author the opportunity to really explore their characters and show their growth. She achieved this better with Sarah whose development and realizations are evident, while Andy – although well-rounded and complex – feels a bit static. Perhaps the biggest change in him can be seen in his relationship with his dad and in his act of tearing down the flag dad was so proud about. Sarah, on the other hand, goes from feeling miserable and lost and trying to fit in (almost) at all cost to discovering her true self and her abilities and advantages.

It could be argued that Sarah’s four stylish and rich classmates, also known as the AABCs (two Amandas, Brittany and Courtney), are shown as one-dimensional caricatures, but they only appear on the first few pages and thus function more as the catalyst for Sarah’s story than real characters. Nonetheless, Rorby could develop them better.

This is a book that really draws you in from the first page on and doesn’t let you go till the very last. Sarah is a character one can easily identify with and then journey with her through the tangled pathways of the Everglades and of that scary world of growing up. I imagine, on many levels, the AABCs are just as scary as a water moccasin. A superb read that will appeal not only to young adults but to everyone who appreciates nature and its beauty and dangers.