And Then I Found Out the Truth

Niko Amber  803                                                                                            10/16/14

Reading Response

And Then I Found Out the Truth

There is something about losing your mother that is permanent and inexpressible - a wound that will never quite heal           —Susan Wiggs

And Then I Found Out the Truth, by Jennifer Sturman, is a story about loss and finding independence. In the novel, Delia is a teenager whose mother, T.K., suddenly dies while on a boating expedition in Central America. T.K.’s death forces Delia to move from her beach-side house in California to New York City, where Delia learns life lessons, while trying to unravel the mystery of her mother’s death. Sturman symbolically illustrates the ways in which the death of T.K. impacts Delia both negatively and positively.

            Many readers may be surprised by Delia’s reaction to her mother’s death. Although many teenagers have a hard time coming to terms with the death of a parent, Delia absolutely refuses to believe that her mother, a widow, is dead. Instead, Delia believes her mother is lost at sea. Delia thinks that her mother is too organized to suddenly die in a freak accident. Although, Delia believes her mother is alive, the absence of her only parent takes a toll.

            American novelist Susan Wiggs states, “There is something about losing your mother that is permanent and inexpressible - a wound that will never quite heal.” However, for Delia the effects of her mother’s death were not all negative. Delia experienced a period of growth while mourning for her mother. 

            In the beginning of the book, Delia takes a physics test, which she fails. The test symbolizes the ways in which T.K.’s death negatively impacts Delia. T.K. is a science wizard; she studied at Stanford University and created her own science-based company. However, Delia did not inherit her mother’s aptitude for science. In the past, the only way Delia had been able to pass science class was by receiving constant tutoring from T.K. When Delia fails her first science test after her mother’s disappearance, she begins to understand the ramifications of her mother’s death.

            Although Delia struggled with her mother’s absence, Delia made significant realizations about her self during the time she was living with her aunts in New York. The restrictions that Delia’s mother put into place were dropped under her aunt’s supervision. Delia no longer felt obligated to live up to the expectations that she would equal her mother’s success. Delia began to live her life based on her preferences rather than arbitrary rules her mother put in place. For example, Delia’s mother only believed in buying clothes from L.L. Bean catalogs. When Delia moved to New York she was no longer regulated in her clothing choices; she could finally express herself through fashion.

            While Delia suffered though her mother’s absence, she reaped great rewards in discovering her independence. She learned how to live without the restrictions of her mother, and although she got off to a rocky start in her science class, she managed to get her grades up. At the end of the book, Delia got a got an A on her physics final. It’s likely the author, Jennifer Sturman, wrote And Then I Found Out the Truth to show teenagers that while they may go through hardships as they are developing into adults, something good can come out of a bad situation.

            Delia’s experiences throughout the book are relatable to many teenagers. Although the story revolves around a mysterious death, the foundation of the plot is a coming of age story. Specifically, And Then I Found Out the Truth is about a girl who loses her mother, only to find her independence, individuality and resilience. This is a universal theme that resonates with many teenagers, because all teens have to go through separating from their mothers to find who they are as individuals.