Maisie Cannon doesn’t know how to get through the winter in Christine Day’s The Sea in Winter. Ever since an accident in October tore her ACL, she’s been lost, torn away from her love of ballet. Now in February, she’s starting her midwinter break with little enthusiasm, but her family has a full itinerary for the break as they plan to spend time near the Makah community that Maisie’s mom once called home.
The trip around the Olympic Peninsula, where she’s been approved by her physical therapist to hike, is meant to be a break—-a refuge from everything they’re dealing with—and bring Maisie and her younger brother, Connor, closer to their heritage. Maisie has to navigate mourning a potential loss of her passion, fading friendships, and hopelessness, all at once. The pressure puts tension on the relationship she has with her family at times, dealing with feeling like a burden for: her mom, her step-dad Jack, and her brother Connor.
Maisie also struggles with keeping in touch with her ballet friends. They’re the only friends she has, and because they go to different schools, ballet lessons used to be the only chance she had to spend time with them. She’s lonely, but she can’t bring herself to fully push past the envy she feels for Eva, her best friend, and Hattie, a girl who feels responsible for Maisie’s accident. Despite her words, some part of Maisie agrees with her, and the book is also a journey to forgive her for taking her away from the one thing she loves most.
The book does the important job of tackling the existence of mental health concerns in everyone as it explores Maisie’s inner turmoil, but mental health awareness isn’t the only thing it draws attention too. Readers can learn Native history along with Maisie as the family, learning about current issues or developments and related global issues like climate change and war.
However, the book can feel a little disjointed at times, especially as some chapters begin with a time skip or a date. The date can be helpful in giving a general idea of a timeline for Maisie’s story, but the time skips can feel a little jarring as they range from “a few seconds” to “four months”. The four month time skip especially makes the resolution feel more rushed, compared to the amount of time spent developing Maisie’s conflict. There isn’t much shown on her healing journey.
The Sea in Winter is a comforting book that doesn’t shy away from difficult topics. It’s a story of a disheartened ballerina learning to find joy again, supported by friends, family, and a heritage that inspires resilience. For fans of feel-good stories with heavy topics or those looking to learn the lesser-taught Native American history, Christine Day delivers a popular choice in her second novel for readers of all ages.
