The Cartographers

By: Amy Zhang

Narrated by: Jennifer Aquino

“Arresting, heartbreaking, and meditative.”—ALA Booklist (starred review)

“Hand this to anyone trying their best wobbling through the precarious and precious parts of life.”—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

“An intriguing dynamic and a twist on the typical romance arc.”—Kirkus Reviews

Struggling to balance the expectations of her immigrant mother with her own deep ambivalence about her place in the world, seventeen-year-old Ocean Sun takes her savings and goes off the grid. A haunting and romantic novel about family, friendship, philosophy, fitting in, and love from Amy Zhang, the acclaimed author of Falling into Place and This Is Where the World Ends.

Ocean Sun has always felt an enormous pressure to succeed. After struggling with depression during her senior year of high school, Ocean moves to New York City, where she has been accepted at a prestigious university. But Ocean feels so emotionally raw and unmoored (and uncertain about what is real and what is not) that she decides to defer and live off her savings until she can get herself together. She also decides not to tell her mother (whom she loves very much but doesn’t want to disappoint) that she is deferring—at least until she absolutely must.

In New York, Ocean moves into an apartment with Georgie and Tashya, two strangers who soon become friends, and gets a job tutoring. She also meets a boy—Constantine Brave (a name that makes her laugh)—late one night on the subway. Constant is a fellow student and a graffiti artist, and Constant and Ocean soon start corresponding via Google Docs—they discuss physics, philosophy, art, literature, and love. But everything falls apart when Ocean goes home for Thanksgiving, Constant reveals his true character, Georgie and Tashya break up, and the police get involved.

Ocean, Constant, Georgie, and Tashya are all cartographers—mapping out their futures, their dreams, and their paths toward adulthood in this stunning and heartbreaking novel about finding the strength to control your own destiny. For fans of Nina LaCour’s We Are Okay and Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad Is Untrue.

©2022 Amy Zhang (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

witty and thought provoking

I recently listened to this audiobook and was thoroughly impressed. Tashya and Georgie were my favorite characters, and their relationship was the highlight. Georgie, in particular, was full of endearing witty insights and humor. She kept me engaged and entertained throughout the book. Tashya's character felt like a person I already knew, and the two of them made a perfect duo. The philosophical exporation in the book was well done, and definitely presented in a digestible way. Although I wasn't a big fan of Constantine, he added tension to the story. Overall I enjoyed it and highly recommend!

put words to thoughts i couldnt verbalize myself

reading zhang’s the cartographers felt like an honest story of a person loving someone who is incapable of reciprocating that love. it unabashedly describes the main character’s realization of what it’s like to love someone so much it hurts, as well as what it’s like to love and be loved unconditionally.

my fondness of the characters ocean, georgie and tashya grew as i progressed in the story and recognized the love they had for each other. i also enjoyed the way zhang slipped in philosophical dialogue in the book, such as the concept that words are not enough to convey thoughts and can never be fully or properly translated. overall, this was a wonderful and enjoyable read. i would definitely recommend to my friends.

Nothingness

DNF Amy Zhang burst onto the YA scene as a teenager with the much acclaimed FALLING INTO place. Living up to that success must be difficult. I wasn’t a fan of her sophomore effort but looked forward to THE CARTOGRAPHERS. I should have kept my expectations low based on the release date being pushed back years, though I still had hope she’d shine with the same talent she showed in her debut.

I returned THE CARTOGRAPHERS after about 25% of nothingness, no connection to character and lack of storyline. Sadly, Zhang appears to be a one hit wonder. I won’t preorder, but I may give her another shot if I can read a preview to see if I feel a connection.