The Visibles

            I am still reading the book “The Visibles” by Sara Shepard. I am almost done with the book but in this blog post I want to focus on something the main character, Summer said. When she was describing her mother, father, bother and herself she said, “ why does real, unconditional love scare us”

            

           There are many ways to answer her question. One way is maybe the more obvious way, which is that; Summer’s parents divorced and her father fell into a deep depression. Summer’s grandmother had a terrible marriage and had an affair with her sister’s (Summer’s aunt) husband. I guess that if someone grows up around a dysfunctional relationship or marriage it can make him or her scared to really truly fall in love because that idea of getting hurt is too real and terrifying. But I don’t know if that’s truly it. I know many people that have divorced parents and are happy and not afraid to love someone. I think that Summer especially has been so pessimistic about love and life throughout the entire book. She gave up her dream of working in Ireland to take care of an Aunt who told her that she didn’t need her help. She never stayed in touch with her brother or mother and detached from her father after he had found someone how he could be happy with.

            

         I also think that Summer and her brother saw what broken love can do to someone. I think that’s really different from having divorced parents. To see love literally destroy someone you care about can make you want to shut down and put up a wall against the world. I feel for Summer because she had to watch her entire family fall apart when she was a kid. She tried to cling onto her father but he had changed to much and it came to a point where it was unhealthy for Summer to cling anymore. She really had no one left so when Phillip came into her life and asked her if she loved him, she knew she did but she couldn’t let anyone know who she really was and what she really felt because if they left it would break her. Summer didn’t need anymore pain. I wish that she did try harder with Steven her brother. He might have been the only person that understood what she went, not in entirerty, but he could have helped her. They could’ve helped each other and maybe they won’t have been so broken and hurt.

           

          I ‘m almost finished with “The Visibles” by Sara Shepard. I think it’s a really good book because it shows a life that’s really sad and raw, and the book doesn’t end with the girl getting the guy or the family reuniting. I like that it shows the harsher side of life which is really different from a lot of books.