Bookshelf Basics: “You Brought Me the Ocean”

All-ages graphic novels are more diverse and prolific than ever. With so much great content out there – and more arriving every week – sifting through it all can be a daunting task. Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, teacher, librarian or young reader, Multiversity’s Bookshelf Basics is here to help. By highlighting a blend of newly released and classic all-ages books, we’ll help you find a book that’s perfect for you, even as your tastes and interests change. In today’s installment we look at “You Brought Me the Ocean,” a YA graphic novel with a queer protagonist set in the DC Universe.

Cover by Julie Maroh
Written by Alex Sanchez
Illustrated by Julie Maroh
Jake Hyde doesn’t swim-not since his father drowned. Luckily, he lives in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico, which is in the middle of the desert, yet he yearns for the ocean and is determined to leave his hometown for a college on the coast. But his best friend, Maria, wants nothing more than to make a home in the desert, and Jake’s mother encourages him to always play it safe. Yet there’s nothing “safe” about Jake’s future-not when he’s attracted to Kenny Liu, swim team captain and rebel against conformity. And certainly not when he secretly applies to Miami University. Jake’s life begins to outpace his small town’s namesake, which doesn’t make it any easier to come out to his mom, or Maria, or the world. But Jake is full of secrets, including the strange blue markings on his skin that low when in contact with water. What power will he find when he searches for his identity, and will he turn his back to the current or dive head first into the waves?

Let’s Start with the Basics

“You Brought Me the Ocean” is written by Mexican American author Alex Sanchez, whose debut novel, “Rainbow Boys,” was selected by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults in 2002. The book is illustrated by Julie Maroh, author and illustrator of the multi-award-winning graphic novel “Blue is the Warmest Color.” A breakout hit in their native France, that book has been translated into six languages and adapted into a French language film. Le bleu est une couleur chaude, as it’s known in French, won the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.

What’s It All About?

Early in the book we learn that protagonist Jake Hyde has been keeping two major secrets from his best friend, Maria: his body is covered with strange “birth marks” that glow when they come in contact with water, and he’s gay. Jake is uncomfortable with the thought of revealing either of these two facts and begins to pull away from Maria as he tries to sort it all out.

At the same time, Maria is clearly looking for something more than mere friendship, but she lacks the confidence to make the first move. For his part, Jake remains willfully oblivious to Maria’s true feelings, giving her things like high fives when she’d rather have a kiss.

To further complicate matters, it’s Jake and Maria’s senior year and it’s always been assumed the two of them would go to college somewhere together. Jake is drawn to the ocean, however, and yearns to go to Miami to study oceanography – an impossibility in the bone-dry New Mexico desert.

Wrestling with all this uncertainty, Jake can’t help but admire Kenny Liu, the captain of the swim team who is self-assured, outspoken, openly gay and comfortable in his own skin. Jake and Kenny grow closer, things get way more complicated and Jake is reluctantly forced to make some tough decisions that will affect all three of them.

Okay, What Makes It So Good?

Sanchez’s writing is exceptional and beautifully supported by Maroh’s fluid, luminous artwork. The book is extremely well paced, seamlessly switching points of view as it deftly weaves together the three teen character’s stories, each of which is well realized by the end of the book.

The foundation for all of this is Sanchez’s considerable talent for creating realistic, relatable characters. Jake, Maria and Kenny are all very different people, with different personalities and different ways of being in the world. Each one of them feels authentic and has their own compelling story to tell. Sanchez’s scenes are well constructed, with outstanding pace and rhythm. None of the scenes linger too long, but they do what they need to do. All the information is there – the actions and emotions, the relationships and dilemmas – but nothing it is over-explained or tritely obvious.

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Even as the stakes climb, Sanchez’s tone remains calm and reassuring. There are certainly moments overflowing with emotion – anger, confusion, sexual attraction – but there’s an underlying confidence that signals, none of this will be easy, but I promise you’ll make it through. Even as we suffer with Kenny as he’s bullied and gets beat up, we know he’ll not only survive, he’ll thrive. Nothing is sugarcoated, yet the tone remains triumphant.

All of this is echoed and wonderfully supported by Maroh’s incredible artwork. The book deals with difficult themes and Maroh’s illustrations feel equally nuanced and sophisticated. As you can see right on the cover, visually the book looks nothing like DC’s typical YA/middle grade art style. There are no thick black lines, heavy shadows and bright solid colors. Here, the lines feel more organic. You can see individual strokes from Maroh’s pencil, their confident yet subtle lines, their soft gray shadows and cross hatching. You can sense the energy behind all these marks and the care with which they’re made. Take a look at Maroh’s sketches in the back of the book, their final compositions have the same spontaneous feel and tell the story perfectly.

Similarly, there’s a kind of refined, stylish innocence to Maroh’s desaturated color palette. Kenny’s bright green hair is immediately apparent against all the muted backgrounds. New Mexico is rendered in a sandy, dusty rose-brown. Jake is often surrounded by light blue or a subtle turquoise, while the marks that cover his arms alternately look like reservoirs of power or rough scars that have yet to heal. In the end, we know they’re both. Jake has been on one journey and literally come out on the other side. Another journey is just beginning. We know it won’t be easy, but we’re confident Jake endure and the others will, too.

How Can You Read It?

You can find “You Brought Me the Ocean” wherever books are sold, as well as your local comic shop and online retailers. You can also find ebook editions on your favorite ebook platform, including Kindle, Kobo and Google Play. If your library doesn’t have it, ask them to buy a copy. It needs to be in their collection.