Auction, Anger, and Art

Seventeen-year-old Louisa, a foster kid and aspiring artist, sneaks into a high-end art auction with a backpack full of spray paint, intent on making a statement against the commodification of art. She's haunted by the loss of her best friend Fish and the abandonment by her mother, carrying only a postcard of a famous painting, "The One of the Sea." Louisa's plan to simply see the painting unravels as her emotions take over; she marks the wall with a tiny fish in red ink, a tribute to Fish, and is thrown out after a chaotic confrontation. The painting, misunderstood by the adults as just a seascape, is for Louisa a symbol of friendship, longing, and the possibility of belonging. Her act of rebellion is less about destruction and more about being seen, about leaving a mark in a world that has always overlooked her.

Ghosts on the Pier

Twenty-five years earlier, in a seaside town, four teenagers—Joar, Kimkim (later known as C. Jat), Ted, and Ali—spend a transformative summer together. They are outcasts, each escaping bruising home lives, finding solace and identity on an abandoned pier. Their laughter, pain, and small acts of rebellion become the heart of Kimkim's first painting, which will one day be world-famous. The painting, "The One of the Sea," is not just a depiction of water but a coded memory of their friendship, their secrets, and the fleeting safety they found in each other. The world sees only the sea, but the real subject is the invisible bond between the friends, captured in a moment of laughter.

Fish, Loss, and Laughter

After being thrown out of the auction, Louisa collides with a homeless man (who is, in fact, the now-ill artist Kimkim) and his cat. She pours out her story: her life in foster care, her anger at the world, and her love for Fish, her only true friend, who died of an overdose. Fish was Louisa's anchor, her laughter, her family. The two girls survived together by breaking into places, sharing jokes, and dreaming of seeing the painting in real life. Fish's death is a wound that never heals, and Louisa's journey is as much about mourning as it is about finding meaning. The homeless man, moved by her story, reveals his own pain and paints skulls on the wall with her—a silent, shared act of remembrance.

The Painting's Secret Story

The narrative shifts to Kimkim's adolescence. He is a sensitive, anxious boy, bullied at school and neglected at home, who finds his only refuge in drawing. His friends—Joar, Ted, and Ali—are his lifeline. A chance encounter with a kind janitor, Christian, who recognizes Kimkim's talent and encourages him to paint without shame, changes everything. Christian's sudden death devastates Kimkim, but his friends rally around him, pushing him to enter an art competition. The painting that results is a testament to their friendship and survival, a rebellion against the world's cruelty. The painting's hidden skulls are a tribute to Christian, and its existence is a miracle born of pain, love, and the refusal to disappear.

The Summer of Four

The four friends' summer is a tapestry of joy and trauma. Joar, tough and fiercely loyal, protects the others from bullies and his own violent father. Ali, wild and brilliant, is a survivor of abuse who trusts her friends with her life. Ted, quiet and bookish, is the glue that holds them together. Their days are filled with laughter, pranks, and dreams of escape. But violence is never far away—Joar's home is a battleground, and Ali's family is fractured by addiction. The friends' bond is their only defense against a world that wants to break them. Their adventures culminate in the creation of the painting, a snapshot of a happiness they know cannot last.

Broken Homes, Found Family

The novel delves into the realities of growing up in broken homes. Joar's mother is a beacon of love and resilience, but she cannot shield him from his father's rage. Ali's father is neglectful and dangerous, and her trust in the group is hard-won. Ted's family is marked by illness and silence, his mother hardened by grief. Kimkim's parents are emotionally absent, his mother lost in depression. The friends become each other's family, inventing rituals and inside jokes, promising "tomorrow" at every parting. Their loyalty is absolute, their love fierce and imperfect. The painting becomes a symbol of their survival, a secret language only they understand.

The Janitor's Gift

Christian, the janitor, is a pivotal figure. He teaches Kimkim that art is not about rules or critics but about having friends who protect the fragile flame of creativity. Christian's encouragement gives Kimkim the courage to paint honestly, to see his difference as a gift. When Christian dies, Kimkim is nearly lost to despair, but his friends pull him back. The skulls he paints are a tribute to Christian's belief in him. Years later, Christian's mother helps Louisa, recognizing her as "one of us"—a wounded, brilliant soul who needs art to survive. The legacy of kindness and belief ripples through generations.

Violence and Survival

The story does not shy away from the realities of violence. Joar's plan to kill his father is a desperate response to years of abuse. The friends' lives are shaped by trauma, but also by the small acts of care that keep them alive. When Joar's father is killed in a workplace accident, Joar and his mother are finally free, but the scars remain. The novel explores the guilt and relief that come with survival, the ways in which violence infects families and communities, and the possibility of breaking the cycle through love and art.

The Reverse Heist

In the present, Louisa and Ted (now a middle-aged, wounded teacher) embark on a journey to return the painting to the town where it was created. After a series of misadventures—including being mugged, chased, and rescued by a taxi-driving grandmother—they arrive at Joar's house. With the help of Christian's mother, they orchestrate a "reverse heist," breaking into the local museum to hang the painting where it belongs. The act is both a tribute and a reclamation: the painting is no longer a commodity but a gift to the world, a testament to the enduring power of friendship.

Ashes, Endings, and Beginnings

The artist's ashes, lost and found, are finally laid to rest. The friends—those who remain—gather to mourn and celebrate, moving Ali's memorial stone next to Kimkim's. Ted, once paralyzed by fear and loss, finds new purpose as a teacher in a prison, determined to help other lost kids. Joar, after years of caretaking and prison, begins to imagine a future for himself. Louisa, with the support of her found family, goes to art school and eventually becomes a celebrated artist in her own right. The story is not about erasing pain but about carrying it forward, transforming it into something beautiful.

Learning to Swim

Louisa, who has never seen the sea, learns to swim with Ted's patient guidance. The act is both literal and symbolic—a baptism into a new life, a letting go of fear. The sea, once a source of terror, becomes a place of freedom and possibility. Louisa's journey is one of self-acceptance, learning to trust, and daring to hope for more. The friends' rituals—calling "tomorrow," sharing lasagna, holding hands—become the scaffolding for healing. The past is never erased, but it is honored and integrated.

Tomorrow, Always Tomorrow

The refrain of "tomorrow" echoes through the novel, a promise the friends make to each other at every parting. Even as they grow up, move away, and die, the promise endures. The rocks they buried as children remain, a secret testament to their bond. The painting, now hanging in the museum, is visited by strangers who feel its magic without knowing its story. Louisa, now an adult, finds herself helping the next generation of lost kids, passing on the legacy of friendship and art. The story insists that as long as we remember, as long as we love, there is always a tomorrow.

The Art of Letting Go

The characters learn, painfully, that holding on too tightly to grief, guilt, or even love can be paralyzing. Ted must forgive himself for not saving everyone. Joar must accept that he cannot fix the world. Louisa must risk being loved and loving in return. The act of giving the painting to the museum, of scattering ashes, of saying goodbye, is an act of faith in the future. The story ends not with closure but with openness—a willingness to keep moving, to keep creating, to keep loving despite the certainty of loss.

Happy Endings, Human Mess

The novel refuses easy answers or tidy resolutions. Happy endings are provisional, hard-won, and always incomplete. The characters are flawed, their relationships complicated, their griefs unhealed. But there is laughter, there is art, there is the stubborn persistence of hope. The story is a celebration of the ordinary miracles of survival, of the ways in which broken people can save each other, of the beauty that can emerge from pain.

The Next Adventure

In the final pages, Louisa, now a successful artist, calls Ted to tell him she has found "one of us"—a new lost soul in need of art and friendship. The story comes full circle: the legacy of kindness, creativity, and connection is passed on. The friends' story is not over; it is simply the beginning of the next adventure. The book ends with the question: "What would someone like me write a book about?"—an invitation to the reader to continue the story, to find their own meaning, to become "one of us."

Characters

Louisa

Louisa is the emotional heart of the novel—a foster kid marked by abandonment, loss, and anger, but also by a wild, stubborn hope. Her relationship with Fish is the defining bond of her life, and Fish's death leaves her adrift. Louisa's journey is one of learning to trust, to accept love, and to find her own voice as an artist. She is impulsive, combative, and deeply empathetic, drawn to other wounded souls. Her connection to the painting and to the legacy of Kimkim's friendship group is both a lifeline and a challenge: she must learn to carry the past without being crushed by it. Louisa's development is a testament to the power of chosen family, creativity, and the courage to keep going.

Fish

Fish is Louisa's best friend, her laughter, her protector, her family. A fellow foster kid, Fish is both brilliant and self-destructive, unable to survive the weight of her pain. Her death is the central trauma of Louisa's life, but her memory is also a source of strength and inspiration. Fish's humor, kindness, and wildness live on in Louisa's art and in the rituals they shared. She is a symbol of the fragility of hope and the necessity of holding on to joy, even in the face of despair.

Kimkim / C. Jat

Kimkim is the boy who becomes the celebrated painter C. Jat, but at heart he remains a wounded, anxious child. His genius is inseparable from his pain; his art is both a rebellion against and a refuge from a world that never made room for him. Kimkim's relationships—with Joar, Ted, Ali, and Christian—are the foundation of his survival. He is haunted by loss, by the deaths of friends and mentors, by the impossibility of ever being "normal." As an adult, he is reclusive, ill, and overwhelmed by fame, but his final acts—painting with Louisa, reclaiming his first painting, giving it away—are gestures of love and liberation. His legacy is not just his art but the community he inspires.

Joar

Joar is the group's muscle and heart—a boy shaped by violence, determined to protect his friends at any cost. His home life is a nightmare of abuse, but his love for his mother and his friends is unwavering. Joar's sense of responsibility is both his strength and his burden; he is haunted by the belief that he must save everyone. As an adult, he is marked by loss, prison, and regret, but also by resilience and humor. His relationship with Ali is a love story cut short, but his loyalty to Ted and Kimkim endures. Joar's journey is one of learning to forgive himself and to imagine a future beyond survival.

Ted

Ted is the observer, the historian, the one who remembers. His childhood is marked by illness, loss, and fear, but also by a deep capacity for love. Ted's role is to hold the group together, to bear witness, to offer stability in a chaotic world. As an adult, he is wounded—literally and figuratively—by violence, but he finds new purpose as a teacher, determined to help other lost kids. Ted's relationship with Kimkim is a quiet, enduring love, marked by grief and gratitude. His development is a testament to the power of ordinary kindness and the importance of telling the story.

Ali

Ali is the group's spark—a girl who has survived unimaginable pain and channels it into humor, rebellion, and love. She is fiercely independent, quick-witted, and deeply loyal. Her relationship with Joar is a love story of equals, both too broken to be together but too connected to ever let go. Ali's death is a wound that never heals, but her spirit lives on in the group's rituals, jokes, and memories. She is a symbol of the possibility of joy in the midst of suffering.

Christian (the Janitor)

Christian is a brief but transformative presence in Kimkim's life. He recognizes the boy's talent, encourages him to paint without shame, and teaches him that art needs friends, not critics. Christian's death is a devastating loss, but his legacy endures in the skulls Kimkim paints and in the belief that creativity is an act of rebellion and survival. Christian's mother continues his work, supporting Louisa and the next generation of wounded artists.

Christian's Mother

Christian's mother is an art history teacher who becomes a surrogate parent to Kimkim, Ted, and later Louisa. She recognizes the importance of art as a lifeline for broken kids and uses her influence to open doors for them. Her grief for her son is profound, but she channels it into helping others. She is a model of resilience, compassion, and the belief that art can save lives.

Ted's Mother

Ted's mother is a complex figure—hardened by loss, determined to make her sons tough enough to survive. Her love is expressed through food, through small acts of care, through the rituals of daily life. She is not warm or demonstrative, but her devotion is absolute. Her relationship with Ted is marked by misunderstanding and regret, but also by moments of connection and forgiveness.

Joar's Mother

Joar's mother is the heart of his survival—a woman who endures abuse, poverty, and loss with grace and humor. She is the one who keeps things alive, who teaches Joar to find beauty in small things, who ultimately finds her own happy ending. Her story is a reminder that survival is an act of resistance, and that love can persist even in the harshest conditions.

Plot Devices

Dual Timelines and Interwoven Narratives

The novel moves fluidly between Louisa's present-day journey and the summer of the four friends twenty-five years earlier. This structure allows the reader to see the echoes of the past in the present, to understand the weight of memory, and to experience the unfolding of secrets alongside the characters. The interwoven narratives create suspense, deepen emotional resonance, and highlight the cyclical nature of trauma and healing.

Art as Metaphor and Catalyst

The painting "The One of the Sea" is both a literal object and a metaphor for the friends' bond, their pain, and their hope. Art is depicted as a fragile magic, a shield against death, a way of making sense of the world. The act of creating, sharing, and reclaiming art is central to the characters' survival and growth. The painting's journey—from creation to commodification to reclamation—mirrors the characters' own struggles to find meaning and belonging.

Found Family and Ritual

The novel foregrounds the importance of chosen family—friends who become siblings, mentors who become parents, rituals that create belonging. The friends' promises of "tomorrow," their shared meals, their inside jokes, and their acts of mutual care are lifelines in a world that is often hostile and indifferent. These rituals are both a defense against loneliness and a way of keeping the dead alive.

Trauma, Healing, and the Limits of Closure

The story is unflinching in its depiction of trauma—abuse, addiction, abandonment, violence—but refuses to offer tidy resolutions. Healing is slow, nonlinear, and incomplete. The characters carry their wounds forward, learning to live with them rather than erase them. The novel insists that survival is itself a victory, and that the possibility of joy persists even in the aftermath of loss.

Humor and Humanity

Despite its heavy themes, the novel is suffused with humor—silly jokes, playful banter, absurd situations. Laughter is both a coping mechanism and a form of intimacy, a way for the characters to assert their humanity in the face of suffering. The humor is often dark, but it is also redemptive, reminding the reader that even in the worst circumstances, there is room for joy.

Foreshadowing and Symbolism

The novel is rich in foreshadowing and symbolism: the rocks buried at the crossroads, the skulls in the painting, the repeated refrain of "tomorrow," the act of learning to swim. These motifs create a sense of continuity and resonance, linking past and present, loss and hope. The symbols are not just decorative but integral to the characters' journeys, offering both comfort and challenge.

Analysis

Last updated: May 7, 2025