Life In
Outer Space –
Melissa Keil
Review by
Stephanie Tarn
I decided
I’d write my review of the novel as a letter to Melissa. And so it begins:
Dear Ms
Keil, or if you don’t mind breaking with formalities, dear Melissa. Nah, still
too formal, dear Mel.
I read your
debut novel Life In Outer Space
with a view to presenting a review for the children’s book council
breakfast. Reading it was a joy! In this age of doom and gloom, apocalyptic
contexts, abandonment, fear and depression, your novel stands as a beacon of
hope. Thank you for having the courage to dream big dreams and fan the flame of
romance. Yes, the ‘R’ word gets a bad rap these days – there’s more cheese out
there than the original Bega factory. None the less, you have done a mighty job
and thousands of young adults will be exposed to the real deal through your
writing.
I must
admit, for the first 50 pages I felt alone… like when the teens play the high
pitched note on their phones that only they can hear. I sensed a lot of that –
as I am out of touch with such elements as computer speak and horror
movies. Yeah yeah, I’m getting old, but
I pushed on to see what the youngsters would get up to. It was mostly your
brilliant sense of wry humour that folded me in its arm’s embrace. How clever
you are!
You describe
the protagonist, Sam Kinnison, as a geek. I beg to differ, Mel. He’s too social
and he demonstrates throughout the novel that he is highly in tune with his
feelings – granted he hasn’t got a clue what to do with his feelings until the
11th hour, but still, he acknowledges them.
I love that
you set the novel in a school, or more particularly, in a high school social
group. I love the colourful bunch of misfits – Sam included – who form a
lifelong bond due to their differentness. I love how you pay out on the
bullies, although I don’t know how I’d go reading aloud in class when you give
the bullies such titles as ‘Assorted Vessels of Wank’ and ‘High School Arsehat
Hall of Fame’. Having said that, I do like a challenge!
Mel, it was
also a great idea to have one of the group members ‘come out’ in the story.
Mike is a beautiful young man. Thank you for making him an attractive and
humble guy who just happens to be drop dead gorgeous and a black belt in karate
(as an aside, the scene at the dojo where Sam gets willingly beaten up is
absa-freakin-lutely hilarious – reminiscent of Janet Evanovich.) Thank you for
your sensitivity in dispelling homophobia by how the group care for Mike, how
they love and accept him. Readers will glean a lot of wisdom here.
I’m saving
the best til last, Mel. What about Camilla. Camilla, Camilla. She is the bomb.
How amazing was she when Sam’s parents were in crisis? I love the fact that you
had her overseas visiting her mum when it all unfolded. She had to be
incredibly astute in her support of Sam. I can still remember the clear
instruction she gave to him as she was boarding the plane to leave: hire the
80s feel-good movie Say Anything - she knew would uplift him. From thereon in Camilla
assigns him little tasks to help him function every day until she returns,
including the basics such as getting out of his pjs and actually showering!
Getting Sam to learn the guitar at this point was also really clever.
The burgeoning
friendship between Camilla and Sam is, in my mind, the backbone of Life In
Outer Space. Mel, you are deeply in touch with teenage themes (including
developing resilience, family dysfunction, peer pressure, bullying, sexuality,
conflict resolution and peer support) -and you handle each with sensitivity and
humour. Any author who can make me laugh out loud, and later reduce me to
tears, is a winner. Congratulations on your debut novel and let me know when
your next one is published.
Kind
regards,
stephanie
