When life gets chaotic, we tend to become hyper aware of our surroundings. We grit our teeth and await the inevitable train wreck. It keeps us from being caught off guard. But it can also blind us to the good coming our way. Author Carrie Beamer explores the signs we miss in our everyday lives as we focus on the grime of our daily problems in her YA romance novel, Signs We Don’t See. Check out my review of Beamer’s book along with an interview with the author about her poignant yet entertaining novel below.
Signs We Don’t See plot summary
Julietta “Etta” Litali just wants a normal life like any American teenager living in 1987. She loves working at her best friend, Nessa’s, family-owned deli and has recently caught the eye of the rich and popular Jordan Caldwell.
But things aren’t so good at home. Her father’s depression and strange behavior is at all all-time high. His newest obsession is stealing signs from local businesses around town, cleaning them, and stacking them into groups of 16. His inability to work puts a strain on expenses. And when her dad disassembles the home phone, there’s no way for Jordan to call Etta to ask her out and escape her crazy home life.
Between family troubles, their mirror opposite social classes, and the feud between their friend groups, the deck is stacked against the couple. But their bond is so strong that they decide it’s worth it to power through. Then Jordan stops coming to school and calling Etta, and she begins to wonder what she could have done to cause him to ignore her and how she’s going to make it without her new soulmate.
The story
Signs We Don’t See shares a lot of similarities with another classic 80’s story, the film Pretty in Pink. The poor girl dating the rich guy and the rift it creates in their social circles is a highlight of both stories. They also both feature a character obsessed with fashion, a depressed father unable/unwilling to work, an unavailable mother, and a loyal best friend who plays a large part in the story.
However, Signs We Don’t See is very much its own story with its own, deeper message. Though she doesn’t have a broken home or a jealous Duckie to contend with, Etta has major worries that exceed her maturity level. She has to worry about her father’s mental state and how the bills will get paid. She worries about whether her father’s antics will cause their family to have to move again and start over, taking her away from Nessa and Jordan.
Then, there are the typical teen worries like juggling school, work, and boys which on their own are more than enough to handle. Beamer juggles a lot of side plots while keeping Etta in the eye of the storm. So, the reader is limited to her singular but front and center perspective. Many teens do have more than the basic teen problems to worry about in their lives, and this story brings this fact to light.
The characters
Also, unlike Pretty in Pink, the characters in Signs We Don’t See are much more likable. Etta’s world is small, but it is overflowing with loyalty. Nessa and her father Dom, who owns the deli Dom’s on 8th, look out for the Litali’s as friends and fellow Italians. I love how their heritage is celebrated in that proud but self-aware manner.
Nessa is the frustrated fashionista who would rather do makeovers than prepare pasta salad. Her part-time job is a means to an end while Etta sees it as job training for a future career as a chef. The girls have concrete dreams despite their humble circumstances.
They also have each other. Nessa is more of the caregiver in the friendship, but she craves time with Etta as if it’s a critical life function. They’ve only been friends for three years but have forged such a close bond that has them working together, going to school together, and still wanting to hang out after work and sleep over on weekends.
Soulmates
The concept of soulmates is a heavy theme in this book. Etta’s attraction to people is nearly instantaneous and purely organic.
This is illustrated in her interactions with Jordan. Jordan is the son of two doctors who drives a Trans Am and whose housekeeper answers the phone when Etta calls him. But they have similar tastes, interests, and an unspoken connection which becomes apparent as the story unfolds.
Etta’s parents, on the other hand, are a constant source of worry. Her mother is always checked out, overworked, and refusing to deal with the source of the chaos at home. Her dad is always in his own world, sometimes drifting off for months at a time with his incoherent projects and obsessive patterns. So, it makes sense for her to turn to outside sources for support.
The theme of signs
The meaning behind the story’s title hints at more than Mr. Litali’s sign stealing habit. It has more to do with the secrets we keep, the shame we carry, and the burdens that others put on us. We can get so wrapped up in our own worries that we tend to misinterpret the situations happening right in front of us.
In Etta’s case, this has to do with her feelings of inadequacy, her family’s lack of wealth, and the embarrassing truth about her family that she keeps even fully from Nessa. It’s hard to open up when the truth is so hard to tell. What she doesn’t realize is that she’s not alone in her suffering.
It’s this air of mystery and the readers’ protectiveness of Etta’s secrets that really help to carry the plot through its twists and turns. It’s also a very universal message that plays into those heightened emotions of teen world, both then and now.
Being set in the 80’s refreshingly strips away the modern tendency to overshare. It reminds us that we used to hide our differences and struggles. You couldn’t just Google “why is my Dad obsessed with the number 16” or text your crush to ask why he wasn’t in school. You had to investigate and face your problems head on without the comfort of the knowledge that you’re not alone in this pursuit. Despite our tendency to overshare these days, it’s ultimately better to know that you’re not alone in your struggles.
My recommendation
I recommend Signs We Don’t See to all YA readers young and old who want all of the fixings of a standard YA romance with deeper messages worked in throughout and a dash of 80’s nostalgia thrown in. It’s a well-written, page-turning story packed with intrigue, drama, and even fun and paints an accurate picture of how life isn’t easy no matter what stage you’re in. But the struggle is ultimately worth it if you have the right people to help you through.
An author interview with Carrie Beamer
About the author and book
Author links (links open in new tab)
Book titles
Signs We Don’t See
Keep What Remains
Genres
YA Contemporary
YA Historical Fiction (set in the 80s)
YA Romance
Signs We Don’t See book summary
When seventeen-year-old Etta Litali can no longer handle the bizarre, hoarding behavior her dad has going on at home, she turns to a boy named Jordan that seems to be hiding something from her despite their connection. Jordan disappears leaving Etta confused and wondering if their relationship was ever real. Knowing Jordan is keeping something from her that is causing him to dodge everyone at school, Etta has to find a way to show Jordan he can trust her or she will lose him forever. The only way to do that is to reveal to him that she’s been keeping a secret too.
Talking Shop
What do you want readers to take away from your book?
I want readers to know that you shouldn’t feel ashamed of fear. Fear is not something you asked for nor does it mean you are weak. Fear is something that we all battle and shouldn’t be swept under the rug. I want teens, and even adults, to get the help they need to get to deal with any emotional issue holding them in a bad or scary place in their lives
What is a fun or strange source of inspiration that ended up in your book?
I am a born and raised Kansas Citian and so obviously a huge Kansas City Chiefs fan. I used Len Dawson, one of Kansas City’s hall of fame quarterbacks, in a strange way in this book.
How long did it take to write your book from the day you got the idea to write it to the day you published it?
This book was in my head even as I wrote my debut novel Keep What Remains so once I finished my first book, I wrote Signs We Don’t See in like five months from start to finish.
How long have you considered yourself a writer? Did you have any formal training, or is it something you learned as you went?
I don’t have any formal training. I have a BS in Information Technology, but I’ve been writing since I was in high school just bits here and there. I finally decided at 44 to take the plunge. Better late than never!
If you don’t make a living exclusively writing, what is your day job? How, in any way, does it relate to your life as a writer?
I work as a high school registrar. My office is in the counseling center and I get a lot of inspirational materiel just being around all the kids.
“What If” Scenarios
If you could have one person that you admire, living or dead, read your book, who would it be?
My dad! Neither of my parents have read my books but I would really love if my dad could’ve read my books before he passed away.
If you could be in a writer’s group with up to four famous writers, who would they be?
Oh man this is a hard one, I have so many. I’m going to say Elizabeth Berg, Colleen Hoover, Angie Thomas and John Green!
A wealthy reader buys 100 copies of your book and tells you to hand them out to anyone you wish. Who do you give them to?
I would pass them out at local high schools. That would be the best day ever!
You’re offered a contract to rewrite your book in another genre. Which genre do you choose and why?
I would love to write Signs We Don’t See as a middle grade book. Mental illness doesn’t choose an age and so I feel these books are important. I want kids to know that if they have a parent or they are struggling themselves that doesn’t make them crazy or weird.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
Write my next one! But also have a party of course with lots of sushi and candy!
Just for Fun
Your favorite childhood book or story.
My favorite book or books from my childhood were the Ramona Quimby books by Beverly Cleary!
One bucket list item you’ve completed and one that’s still on your list.
Getting my book published was for sure a bucket list item that I was able to fulfill. I still want to leave the US. I’ve never been out of my own country!
Favorite time of/part of your day.
My favorite time of day will always be after 9pm. My house is quiet and I’m not working. At night I can do whatever I want. Read, write, binge reality television and eat ice cream in my pjs.
A book that you recommend everyone reads.
I always, always recommend The Help by Kathryn Stockett. It will always be a favorite of mine.
Your most unrealistic dream job.
I would love to own a bookstore while writing my own books. I think it is very rare that life hands you enough luck and talent at the same time to be able to do this.
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