The Epic Story of Every Living Thing

By: Deb Caletti

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

From the award-winning author of A Heart in a Body in The World comes a gorgeous and fiercely feminist young adult novel. When a teen travels to Hawaii to track down her sperm donor father, she discovers the truth about him, about the sunken shipwreck that’s become his obsession, and most of all about herself.

Harper Proulx has lived her whole life with unanswered questions about her anonymous sperm donor father. She's convinced that without knowing him, she can't know herself. When a chance Instagram post connects Harper to a half sibling, that connection yields many more and ultimately leads Harper to uncover her father's identity.

So, fresh from a painful breakup and still reeling with anxiety that reached a lifetime high during the pandemic, Harper joins her newfound half siblings on a voyage to Hawaii to face their father. The events of that summer, and the man they discover—a charismatic deep-sea diver obsessed with solving the mystery of a fragile sunken shipwreck—will force Harper to face some even bigger questions: Who is she? Is she her DNA, her experiences, her successes, her failures? Is she the things she loves—or the things she hates? Who she is in dark times? Who she might become after them?

Critic reviews

FIVE STARRED REVIEWS!
Kirkus Best Book of the Year Pick
BookPage Best Book of the Year Pick
Booklist Best Book of the Year Pick
A Chicago Public Library Best Teen Fiction of the Year Reccomendation

★ "This gorgeous coming-of-age novel...deftly and empathetically engages head-on with anxiety….An epic tale of life, love, and identity." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "Caletti’s bighearted novel, which endorses the wonders of being present . . . uses two seemingly perpendicular voyages to expertly navigate themes of belonging, connection, family, and identity" —Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Through this novel about overcoming fear and expectations, Caletti examines what makes a person—is it their DNA, their lived experiences, or the family who raised them?" —SLJ, starred review

★"[A] heartwarming and authentic story that's packed with a collage of well-researched detail, people, and themes....will find itself right at home in collections with strong contemporary YA."
—Booklist, starred review

★ "Caletti’s sophisticated, intricate storytelling brings complexity and richness...Both deeply introspective and profoundly engaged with the world, making for a novel that embraces imperfection and inspires empathy." —Bookpage, starred review

"A rich, contemplative story about looking beneath the (literal and figurative) surface to find love, purpose, and joy." —The Horn Book Review

Two stories told at once. One true history.

I would not normally read a “young adult” book but it was recommended. The story grabs my attention right off the bat. It gave me great insight to the lives of adults who are my grandchildren’s age and how they navigate today’s world. Wit and Wonder abound.
Great author.
Perfect narrator.