The Visibles

The only piece of information that Summer Davis takes away from her years at Peninsula Upper School -- one of the finest in the Brooklyn Heights-to-Park Slope radius, to quote the promotional materials -- is the concept that DNA defines who we are and forever ties us to our relatives. A loner by circumstance, a social outcast by nature, and a witty and warm narrator of her own unimaginable chaos by happenstance, Summer hangs on to her interest in genetics like a life raft, in an adolescence marked by absence: her beautiful, aloof mother abandons the family without a trace; her father descends into mental illness, haunted by a lifelong burning secret and abetted by a series of letters that he writes to make sense of his feelings; her show more best friend Claire drifts out of Summer's life in a breeze of indifference, feigned on both sides; and her older brother fluctuates between irrational fury and unpredictable tenderness in an inaccessible world of his making. Uncertain of her path and unbalanced by conflicting impulses toward hope and escape, Summer stays close to her father while attending college, taking him to electro-shock therapy treatments and trying to make sense of his inscrutable past. Upon his departure for a new and possibly recovered life, Summer begins to question the role of genetics and whether she is destined to live out her family's legacy of despair. But it is only when Summer decides to leave New York herself and put off a promising science career to take care of her great-aunt Stella -- bedrock of the family and bastion of folksy wisdom, irreverent insight, and Sinatra memorabilia in a less-than-scenic part of the Pennsylvanian countryside -- that Summer begins to learn that her biography doesn't have to define her...and that her future, like her DNA, belongs to her alone. In a novel consumed by the uncertainties of science, the flaws of our parents, and enough loss and longing to line a highway, Sara Shepard is a penetrating chronicler of the adolescence we all carry into adulthood: how what happens to you as a kid never leaves you, how the fallibility of your parents can make you stronger, and how being right isn't as important as being wise. From the backwoods of Pennsylvania to the brownstones of Brooklyn Heights, The Visibles investigates the secrets of the past, and the hidden corners of our own hearts, to find out whether real happiness is a gift or a choice. show less

I read this book around 3 years ago and the story has still stuck with me.

I was a fan of Shepard's PLL series (which I read before it rose to fame by the tv series) so when I heard she had something different coming out I rushed at the chance.

What I got was a book that ended up helping me in ways I didn't even realize I needed.
To add to the summary blurb at the top Summer has to endure the heartache that is a family falling apart, all on her own. Her other family members are never really present enough to help her through this tough time so she ends up becoming emotionally stilted in her adult life.
At a first glance this book may seem like the coming of age story on how to deal with your crazy family, but it proves you wrong because show more right between the pages is a whole other story being told.

That was what really made me like this book. It wasn't just one story, it was two weaved together through time. Both seemingly unrelated, but in the final chapters they join forces to reveal a beautifully poignant closing that allows Summer, along with the reader, the help needed in moving past something.

I'll go back to why I loved this book so much.
I myself am a child of divorce and a broken family. At the time of reading this book, I had decided that I accepted the cards I'd been dealt and would be able to move on from the situations at home. I was sad yes, but I was moving on from it.
And then I read this story, and I connected with Summer on the loss she felt, and the stories we kids tell ourselves to make things not seem as bad. It made me realize that I was actively trying to convince myself that I was completely fine, when I hadn't really dealt with it. In a way, this book was there for me during this time, in a way that my other family members, or friends who didn't understand, couldn't be. And I in return felt like I was there for Summer, and her father, and even the lost characters in between.

Okay, so basically, this book means a lot to me. Shepard isn't my favorite author, but I really thank her for writing this book and opening my eyes to another part of myself. show less

The Visibles opens in 1992 when a teacher tells Summer Davis’s high school biology class that DNA irrevocably controls every aspect of a person’s life -- that it effectively tethers children to their parents forever. That’s a reassuring concept for Summer, whose mother abandoned the family just days before. So reassuring, in fact (and later so unsettling), that it prompts Summer to persevere through serious family problems toward a career in genetics research.

The narrative is well written, particularly the transitions into flashbacks which are among the smoothest I’ve read. An intriguing sense of mystery is developed, especially about family secrets, and kept me reading for their reveal. Yet, despite plotlines of abandonment and show more mental illness, there’s a lack of dramatic tension and a lack of characters I cared about. A number of things seemed not-quite-believable, including Summer’s pursuit of genetics -- each mention of it felt like a label and bumped me, there having been nothing in her first-person narration to organically evoke the manner of a scientist. In the end, an interesting but emotionally neutral read. show less

At first, I was taken aback by how depressing this book was. Maybe I didn't read the jacket copy carefully enough, but the pink cover and protagonist named Summer didn't prepare me for the darkness inside.

Summer Davis is the child of a mother who runs away (and is never fully developed) and a father who's mentally ill (he starts stabbing himself with broken glass). From the beginning, the narrative is peppered with secrets. The main thing that kept me reading was that I wanted to know what the answers were. Eventually, all the mysteries in the story were solved, and it came together like puzzle pieces. I have to say, it wasn't very believable. I don't think many people have so much angst and so many concealed secrets in their closets. show more One or two - maybe. This many - no.
Comment show less

Sarah Shepard is best known for her hit teen series PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. THE VISIBLES is a distinct departure, feeling much closer to the literary world than the world of GOSSIP GIRL. Her protagonist, adolescent Summer Davis, is devastated after her mother abandons the family out of the blue. She becomes obsessed with the concept of DNA, convinced that it is through science that she will one day reconnect with her mother. As Summer grows up, attends college and eventually finds her way to the genetics lab at NYU, it becomes her father that may hold her back, as his battle with mental illness finally reaches a head. THE VISIBLES is an intense, thought-provoking novel, and I look forward to Sarah Shepard's next adult venture.

Reasonably Engaging, but Predictable, June 28, 2009


This novel examines a girl's attempts to come to terms with parental abandonment. By thirteen Summer Davis's mother had run off without a trace, and her father was descending into serious mental illness. Summer quickly becomes the adult in a family spiralling out of control. There's not much that I found surprising or unusual about the plot of this book. It is, in fact, quite predictable. Summer's troubled parents shape ways in which she approaches school, career, and relationships. The plot proceeds just as one might expect. The twist Shepard adds to this particular story is Summer's fascination with DNA. She is first introduced to the concept soon after her mother leaves, and Summer show more spends much of her young adult life pondering the nature vs. nurture debate in light of her particular situation. I found this theme to be contrived, however, as it is only loosely woven into the narrative, and it added little value and effect to the plot. While I found Shepard to be a good writer, I wished the book had been more imaginative. show less

Initially, the book read like a YA book-young adult protagonist who's mother abandons the family and the father sinks into a deep depression. There were so many family issues and situations, but the characters and emotions were flat. The "surprise" at the end was expected, and seemed tacked on leaving the reader unsatisfied.