Hitchhiking Across Canada to Blackmail an Ex - What Could Go Wrong? : The Somewhere I See You Again by Nancy Thorne

Author Origin: Toronto, Ontario

Page Count: 263
Genre: YA, Historical Romance
Difficulty: Easy 
Grade Level: 9+
Key Talking Points: Canadian History, Vietnam War, Draft Dodgers, Residential Schools, Ethics/morality
Sensitive Subject Matter: No content is explicit, but there are references to sexual abuse, residential schools, and war. Some mild drug use. Illness and injury in close family and friends (also not described graphically) 

Summary: Acutely aware of her family's poverty, teenaged Hannah is always looking for a way to take some of the pressure off of her hard-working father and terminally ill mother. When the opportunity arises to get more money than her family could ever imagine, money that could change everything, little obstacles like hitchhiking cross-country and committing blackmail don't even register. Joining Hannah is her best friend Stacy, who has her own baggage and problems that she believes money would solve. Together they experience ups and downs on the road and in the love they find in unlikely places. But the danger that faces them is real, and they won't make it home unscathed. 

While this novel is classified as a historical romance, the romance really isn't a prominent feature and I'm not upset about that. What is most interesting about this text is the character building that is done with Hannah. This is her coming of age story: a romance of self-discovery. 

Thorne writes in the first person, giving Hannah a very distinct voice. Hannah's narrative feels authentic to a teenager- she is blunt, often scattered, making assumptions, and commenting on little details in an uncensored way, whereas a more polished, adult voice would most likely omit or smooth over many of the descriptions Hannah includes. Hannah believes every grown man is a pervert, rich people can't be anything but happy, and theft is okay if your family is poor. She can justify any deception or exploitation, as long as it is in her favour. All that considered, I don't really like Hannah for at least the first third of the novel. It is a real risk that Thorne takes to create a protagonist as harsh and judgmental as Hannah, but she balances her out with the obvious care she has for her parents, giving the reader just enough buy-in to stick with her until she becomes more endearing. 

Another interesting aspect of Hannah's character is her relationship with her best friend, Stacy. For many of the first chapters of the book, those exact ones where a reader may find that they aren't that fond of Hannah, the chapter ends with a journal entry or a copy of a letter Stacy has written. These serve a few purposes, the most important of which is that we get to see Hannah through Stacy's eyes. Stacy sees only the good in Hannah, and shares memories that give the reader reason to believe Hannah is not as cold as she seems. They also give us more development for Stacy as a character beyond the foolish good-girl described by Hannah. Finally, they offer an alternate reality to the one that Hannah is creating, making us question Hannah as a narrator and hinting at events that we don't see to allow readers room to expand the story in our own minds. For all of these reasons, I was really disappointed when Stacy's contributions to the text ended. I was left wanting more of Stacy's contrasting voice as a balance and enrichment to Hannah's. 

There are a number of secondary characters that come and go throughout the text. While some work against the girls, many show kindness to them. This captures a purity and wholesomeness that feels very Canadian, and also balances out some of the heavier topics that act as a backdrop for Hannah's journey. Thorne paints each of these characters with loving details, and, as they come and go, each makes a mark on Hannah that eventually leads her to her growth by the end of the text.  

Teacher Note: This novel, as it is set in Canada in 1971, makes numerous references to events and issues that were prominent at the time. This will allow for students to select topics that interest them for further research and offers cross-curricular assignment options. If this novel is covered in a book club/literature circle, the role of researcher will be a rich one for students to tackle each week. 

As stated above, the rich narrative style, contrasting character voices, and conflicting details given by Stacy and Hannah let students do a lot of work on character using this novel. Graphic organizers like Venn diagrams or T-charts can be used to compare and contrast the girls' traits and versions of events. Their relationship can be analyzed using critical thinking strategies to judge if their friendship is true or not, given evidence collected from the text.  

Other creative projects can include a mapping activity to build graphic text skills and link to geography cross-curricularly, as well as creative writing to fill in some of the gaps left by the narrative. For example, students can pick up where Stacy leaves off with her letters, or continue the stories of some of the random people that Hannah and Stacy come into contact with during their journey. 

 

Final Thought: Hannah is like a sponge. As she travels across Canada, each new person and experience has an impact on her. Sometimes this is explicit in little references she makes, like ripples through the text, and sometimes it is less obvious. While Hannah does find romantic love, what is most important is the compassion that she matures into, allowing her to better understand and appreciate the non-romantic relationships in her life and her own place in the world. Hannah's journey teaches readers, young reader especially, to open themselves up to new learning and to be willing to take risks for the betterment of themselves.  

📚 Ms. CAN Lit