The Odd Sea

1 Pages 231 Words

In The Odd Sea, Fredrick Reiken suggests that in one’s home one is able to stay in a state of innocence. In the novel, the narrator and main character, Philip, searches to find his older brother Ethan who has disappeared. During Philip’s search for Ethan, the family tries coping with the loss. In an effort to cope with Ethan’s disappearance, Philip’s mother begins to spend her nights baking and reading novels in the kitchen. Philip describes his mother as being “withdrawn and basically unresponsive” (53). Philip’s father had begun building timber-frame cabins as his own way of coping with Ethan’s disappearance. Philip’s oldest sister Amy had become distant from the family while working as a paralegal and waiting on several law school applications. Halley, Philip’s other sister, began helping her father build timber-frame cabins and seemed to be dealing with Ethan’s disappearance fine. Philip’s youngest sister Dana, obsessively shot free throws as her own way to cope with Ethan’s disappearance. Philip began to write in a journal similar to how his brother had written in a journal. Writing became Philip’s way of coping with his brother’s disappearance. In the novel Plainfield is where Philip’s innocence and his experiences lie and he is able to stay in a state of innocence in Plainfield. Philip’s timber-frame cabin is a symbol of his innocence and also symbolizes Philip’s relationship with his brother Ethan....