'The Protected' by Claire Zorn

From the start, The Protected delivered everything it promised: year 10 student Hannah, is trying to piece her life together after the tragic loss of her slightly older sister Katie in a freak car accident in the vicinity of her school. This is the beauty of good writing; that one can experience the unimaginable, and hopefully be a better, more empathic person as a result.
Aside from the damage wrought by the accident, the strongest theme of the novel, to my mind, is bullying and its effects. I have read, viewed, and heard countless 'bully' texts. In some ways I think I might have been feeling a bit de-sensitized, as in, build a bridge ffs (!!!) but The Protected was a powerful exposition of how devastating it is to be on the receiving end. I also applaud the way Zorn depicted the bullies. The are the lowest of the low, piranhas preying on the vulnerable:

'Shit, you're ugly.'
Canteen line. Recess. Tara curled her glossed lips.
'Maybe she's actually a guy,' Amy said. 'Are you a guy, Hannah? Do you have a dick?' (pp.80-1)

Or later, at a local party...

'Oh my God. Did you guys see that?'
'Yes.' Tara's mouth hung open. 'I can't believe you fully groped Amy.'
'You can't do that, Hannah! You little lezzo perve. Oh my God.' Amy held her hands up, shaking them like she'd touched something gross. Then she rushed out of the kitchen.
'Okay,' Tara said, giving me her best dead animal stare. 'You totally have to leave. Like, right now.'
(p.95)

The Protected is an easy read with realistic characters and cutting edge themes. The setting is mid Blue Mountains in Sydney's outer west. From my experience, it could be any school anywhere in Australia. No wonder the novel was shortlisted by the CBCA. I'm not sure my little blog has done the book justice as I haven't mentioned several other engaging elements of the narrative including the fact that the recently deceased sister was a bit of a bitch towards her little sister. I don't want to give too much away. Just to add, I highly recommend it! Nuff said :)

Miss ^--^