Where We Begin – The Past Is Waiting

 

©2020 Christie Nieman

This is a tidy and well-written story. It has been a while since I have read a YA novel that doesn’t have a driving narrative – until now. Put it this way, I had ten pages to go and I opted for crochet and Le Tour. If you are just looking to read a story and not be challenged, changed or enthralled, then this is the book for you.

The protagonist is 17-year-old Anna. She is a smart and driven student who aspires to become a doctor when she finishes school. Easy, right? Sure, if we overlook a few tiny factors including the fact that her mum is a high functioning alcoholic, her dad works overseas, and she has just discovered sex. Oh, and she becomes pregnant despite using contraception. I suggest this novel will be ‘triggering’ for anyone who can relate to some of the issues raised:

Why hadn’t I been able to take the pill? Why hadn’t I swallowed it? I would have been done. I could have been done with this. I could have been in control of my life again.

It wasn’t that I felt it was wrong in any way. I felt fine that this little clump of DNA was no more or less than the bacteria that covered every living thing, just as amazing and astounding and improbable, but also just as oblivious and expendable.

So it wasn’t a moral problem. It was just… something unexpected. (p.183)

Anna’s decision to leave home to sort herself out is made for her when her mother, Cathy, has a frightening drunken outburst which culminates in Cathy smashing a glass that inadvertently cuts Anna’s boyfriend. Anna boards the next bus bound for the country and the grandparents she has never met. It is here where most of the story unfolds as Anna discovers her mother’s past. The chapters which are set in Cathy’s time were, to my mind, the most intriguing. Have you ever wondered why your parents think and behave as they do? All the dots are joined as we meet Cathy’s bff, observe her controlling father, and wonder why the hell Anna was never told she had an uncle.

There are moments of drama when Anna decides to study in the creepy old abandoned farmhouse – Bromley Cairn – but these are not sustained. It also becomes increasingly frustrating when there’s no network coverage for Anna to reply to her oh so loyal and understanding boyfriend Nassim (who is none the wiser about the pregnancy):

I don’t understand what’s going on. I don’t want to crowd you, I know I’ve promised not to do that, but it’s super hard when you just totally disappear like this. You know that I can leave you alone as much as you want, so long as I know where I stand – I’ve said that right from the start. But right now I just don’t know where I am with you, and quite frankly it feels like shit… So feel free to take this as our break-up if you like. I don’t want to break up. I guess you know that. I still want to be with you… (pp. 201-3)

Whatever. I think I prefer more definition in a plotline.

That said, the writer provides some engagement via Basil, the son of her mum’s bff. He is more than happy to fill the gaps in Anna’s understanding with what he either knows or has heard. This takes a predictable turn when he enlightens her about the sordid past in terms of the bloody ousting of the land’s first inhabitants. We can never hear too much about this – just sayin’.

So I did eventually finish the novel. What happened to the baby, you ask? You tell me!

Miss ^__^

When Rain Turns To Snow

 

© 2020 Jane Godwin

Hmmm. I was trying to work out why I did not particularly warm to this novel. In a nutshell, I’d say it’s because one of the driving conflicts centers around a neglected 5-month-old baby who is sporting both a temperature and a mystery cough. I think I was so fixated on the welfare of the baby that much of the ‘beautiful and timely coming of age’ story went out the window with the bath water! The good news is, the writer is not pitching the story to my 50-something age group. Huzzah!

Still, I can’t muster up enthusiasm for this book. It was too ‘soap opera’ for me. Not that I watch them, but if you enjoy ‘Home and Away’ or ‘Neighbours’, you’ll love this book. No loose ends. A tidy and overly dramatic story for 13-year-old girls. 

‘Hi. Did you get some sleep?’

‘I’m scared I’ll squash her if I fall asleep,’ he says, holding Mercy gently in his arms.

‘Let’s not wake her up,’  I whisper. The night is so still, so quiet, the sound would really travel.

But too late, she’s going to start crying again.

I give Reed the bottle. ‘It’s too hot for her,’ he says.

‘I didn’t know she’d be drinking it right away.’ He could have said thank you for getting it! No one appreciates what I’m doing for them. I go to the tap in the garden. Dark, icy water runs over my hands as I top up the bottle. I’m sure a bit of tap water won’t hurt her.

‘Feel her forehead,’ whispers Reed when I come back in.

My hand covers her whole forehead because she’s so tiny. ‘It’s hot.’                    (pp.132-3) 

See what I mean. And don’t get me started on the fact that the baby’s nappy hasn’t been changed in 24 hours! I realise I’ve said nothing about the characters or plot. You can join the dots. Knock yourself out. I’ll end on this from page 233 where the protagonist’s brother has been accused of cyber-bullying: 

In the picture, Harry’s hand is on Amber’s thigh. She’s wearing denim shorts. I remember that she’d been to Queensland and still had a tan.

‘I mean it’s just my personal opinion-‘ begins Sadie.

‘I am sick of your personal opinion!’ I shout without thinking. ‘She sat on his knee. So what! My brother’s got nothing to do with Rate Year Eight, so find out who it is and get them to take it down…Stop spreading rumours about my brother!’ I yell at them all.

‘Omigod,’ Poppy whispers, ‘what is wrong with you?’

Miss ^__^

When the Ground is Hard – Malla Nunn ©2019

 

I loved this book! The absorbing and satisfying story was reminiscent, to me, of the satisfying days of old after finishing an Enid Blyton ‘Famous Five’ story – in a good way. Yes Blyton’s writing is naïve and immensely politically incorrect, but that’s not what I’m referring to. Nunn’s story is tightly scripted such that every chapter leaves the reader with a sense of satisfaction akin to eating a delicious but well-proportioned dinner. But enough of my feelings and lame similes.

As outlined in its blurb, the author was born in Africa and came to Australia to ‘escape apartheid’. The best part of this harrowing fact is that Nunn’s writing immerses the reader in all the beauty, chaos and diversity of her home country. I can’t comment on how close to the truth her descriptions are, having never been, but I have seen my fair share of films which would attest to the plausibility of the book’s inclusions. What hasn’t Nunn included? This book has, to my mind, everything a young reader could hope for: true love, stolen undies, a natural disaster, racism, African culture, ‘mean girls’, child abuse (the teachers keep the students in line by hitting them with rulers and switches), danger, discovery, death – maybe?? adultery …Not gonna lie, I did get tears on page 229.

The best part? Watching the evolution of the protagonist, Adele, from pig-ignorant to adventurous, empathetic and green-stick wise. The mother/nanna in me would hope that every young woman could flourish in the same way in the same short amount of time. I appreciated the efforts made by Nunn to show that Adele takes time to think. She is present (to use the cliché) and when something provokes her she learns to challenge her preconceived ideas. She is oh so teachable. Sigh. Much, if not all of this learning is borne of her unexpected pairing with a poor room mate at the boarding school they attend. Initially Adele is mortified to be stuck with a peasant, Lottie, but it is not long before we note that Lottie’s character is gold. Methinks it is no coincidence that Lottie’s surname is Diamond!

Here’s an excerpt from earlier in the book when we are offered a rare glimpse into Lottie’s vulnerability:

The thing is, though, right now, sitting across from her, Lottie doesn’t look tough at all. She is deathly pale, fidgeting with her fingers and frowning. She knows what will happen later this morning, and it pains her. So she sits and builds her wall higher; she cements the bricks closer and digs the moat deeper. Being impenetrable takes work. It takes effort. And the wall that shields her from the cruelty of boarding school children is not a birthright given by fairies or God above. It is earned. Lottie builds her wall one stone at a time. Time and time again. (p. 97)

I chose that because it captures Adele’s growing metacognition. Most of Adele’s peers thrive on the weaknesses of others; Adele is learning to swim against that tide and it is immensely (here’s that word again) satisfying!!

Enjoy! I jolly well did.

Miss ^__^

Across The Risen Sea

 Bren MacDibble ©2020

In the first instance, I am glad I followed my own mantra: Don’t give up until you’ve read at least 50 pages. This is because it did take time to tune into the plot and the characters - longer than usual, methinks – and I am thankful not to have ditched this book prematurely. But that might be just me!

This novel is an entertaining adventure story for young readers, say 10 -14 years, set in future earth after some sort of Climate Event has caused the sea to rise drastically. Think ‘Water World’ meets ‘Snowpiercer’!! I had to get over the hurdle of reading the ‘evolved’ (or should I say, de-volved) English language to get into the flow of what turned out to be a rollicking good story. One word that featured in the protagonist’s future vocab was ‘prolly’ (probably) which annoyed me before said little girl stuck on me ‘like a tick’, which is another one of her ‘cute’ phrases. Neoma frequently says ‘coz’ and ‘aint’. This is a reminder that the children who have survived haven’t been educated in school. They are described as ‘dressed in rags and stinking like fish’ (p.196). What’s not to love?

Once you work out that there are several island communities, each having adopted unique customs and quirks, it is intriguing to see how they have managed to endure. The biggest daily activities involve scavenging and fishing, which is not surprising. I could literally see the whole story playing out as a fabulous movie akin to ‘Life of Pi’. Each chapter is only a page or two long, its title summing up the key event contained within. This is fabulous if you just want ‘snack’ read – it’s so easy to pick up where you left off.

The conflict involves – without giving anything away – an invasion, an electrocution, shark – croc – pirate attacks, abductions and maybe a death or two?!? There are also unexpected moments of humour to ensure the entertainment keeps on coming! Here’s an excerpt from a chapter called Trouble to whet your appetite:

There’s a small boat in the channel… On a fine day we'd stop and investigate, maybe take it back to its moorings if it's got a name on it we recognize. This one looks real familiar. And I can't think why until it spins a bit towards us and a golden sun on the prow reflects a flash of lightning.

‘Ma!’  I yell over the crashing waves. ‘It's the siblings’ boat from the Valley of the Sun!’

‘Din’t they tie it off proper?’ Jag asks.

‘Something's happened to them,’ I say. I know it, deep in my heart. I've known it since I went to Jacob's Reach.

 ‘I ain't stopping to tie it on, Neoma, no matter what's happened,’ Ma says. She's frowning over her shoulder but not at me, at that swirl of green and black chasing us down. ‘Storm’s almost on us.’

‘Sail close,’ I say, ‘I'll grapple it, and we’ll tow it in.’ This boat could have clues about why it's bashing around out here empty without a sibling to be seen.

‘You'll break the grapple rope before you get it up to the same speed we’re going,’ Ma says.

‘I’ll winch it out, so it don't!’ I say and nod at Jag to get ready to do that for me.

‘Okay, but likely we’ll have to cut the rope anyway if it slows us down.’

Ma sails close and I hand the end of the grappling rope to Jag to let out as needed, and wrap it round the winch. Last thing I want to be doing right now is handling rope. My hands is raw meat.

Then I lean way over the keel, holding on to a stanchion real tight, swing and drop the grapple hook gently, without too much sliding through my hand, into the boat and drag it forward to hook it onto the board across the top of the prow as we sail on by.

‘Okay!’ I yell to Jag. ‘Let the rope out so it turns and gets up to speed.’

I go to turn away but something pale twitches in the bottom of the siblings’ boat, and I wonder if a fish got slopped in there by a big wave, but the pale thing has a thick ribbed tail, and in a flash of lightning it becomes a hand, palm upwards! Someone's in there under the tarp!

I scrambled back to the deck. ‘Someone's in there!’ I yell.

Ma looks at me like I grew an extra head. ‘Don't lose that rope, Jaggy-boy!’ she yells, dropping the sail a little to slow Licorice so we don't lose our tow, then turns to Dizzy. ‘What kind of trouble are we hooked into right now?’ (pp.63-5)

Happy Reading!

Miss ^__^

The Boy Who Steals Houses - The Girl Who Steals His Heart

 C. G. Drews (c) 2019

Having just finished this book, I feel like I've been in the ring with Mike Tyson. It is a page turner and it is not for the  faint-hearted. 

The story centers around a couple of teen brothers who have had a vile childhood - their mother abandoned them; their drunk and violent father abused them before unceremoniously dumping them at their heartless aunt's house. Everything is exacerbated by the fact that the older brother, Avery, is autistic and is cruelly bullied by his peers. His younger brother Sammy has adopted the role of his Chief Protector, which sounds quite noble until you read that Sammy does what he knows best and resorts to uncontrollable physical violence, leaving a wake of blood and broken bones in their track.

The boys soon find themselves homeless and on the run.

Each chapter is interspersed with chronological flashbacks to help the reader see beneath the iceberg and maintain a shred of empathy instead of repulsion.

In start contrast, Sammy eventually finds himself swept up in the life of a 'normal' chaotic family who know nothing of his past and allow him to fall in step with their daily routines. And in this family, who are currently grieving the loss of their mother (who died too young of cancer), Sammy bonds with Moxie and begins to wrestle with his demons in the process of finding love. One asks, would she care for him if she really knew what he was like?

Here's an excerpt from early on wherein the brothers are staging a fight so they can steal wallets from the concerned crowd:

    Avery shoves him.

    It comes so fast that Sam doesn't have time to brace himself. He takes a stumbling step backwards, falling against a passer-by in a tangle of limbs and hair flopping over his face.

    'I'm sorry!' he gasps as the person shoves him off with a startled grunt.

    Their handbag isn't quite zipped.

    Sam's hand is in and out before he stands up.

    Then Avery is in front of him, shoulders knotted, jabbing a finger into Sam's chest. Right in the bruise. Sam's wince is real.

    'You want to run that by me again?' Avery shouts...

    Knuckles collide with Sam's jaw.

    His neck snaps to the side.

    His teeth sink into his tongue.

    The boardwalk reaches up and Sam's face c o l l i d e s with a thwack on the floorboard. His vision fractures.

    Avery really really forgot to fake that punch.

    Hands are already on Sam's arms, grabbing him, asking if he's OK as he's roughly propelled into a sitting position. Blood dribbles down his chin. Someone gives a heartfelt gasp. (pp.97-8)

And there's plenty more fight scenes where that came from, which leads me to think that this novel will appeal to any teens from year 7 - 9. It is fast paced from the start and contains an emotionally charged and satisfying ending. I enjoyed it!

Miss ^__^

FUTURE GIRL by Asphyxia

 (c) 2020

From the blurb: FUTURE GIRL is the art journal of a 16 year old Piper, a visual extravaganza of text, paint, collage and drawings, woven into a deeply engaging coming-of-age story set in near-future Melbourne, created by Deaf writer, artist and activist, Asphyxia.

As with all novels, it comes down to personal preference. I didn't like this book. The story was labored and repetitive. There were pivotal plot lines that were jarring and implausible, such as the so-called genius scientist mother losing her job in spite of being bff with the current prime minister (who pops into her squalid shack for a cuppa to discuss  evolving policies, two guards complete with cammo and weapons standing by the door). There were too many what I class as 'Willy Wonka Golden Ticket' moments - those coincidences that keep arising, one after the other, to set the scene for the next chapter. The protagonist, who is deaf, just happens to fall in love with a lad whose mother is deaf. What are the chances?

It's not all bad though. The concept of creating a novel with original artwork on every page kept me, at least, turning the pages. I also appreciated the author's efforts to evoke empathy in the reader in terms of what it would be like to be deaf. The detail here was astounding, right down to wearing hearing aids, learning sign and/or needing an interpreter. I found it amusing when Piper was fighting with her mum, as kids do, and simply whips out her hearing aids! Discussion over! I think there'd be times when that move would be a blessing.

Asphyxia presents a bleak look at the near future. Throughout the novel Piper is borderline starving to death. There are global food shortages and the synthetic food, invented by Piper's mum, has been shown to have damaging side  effects:

'DO YOU GET FOOD POISONING OFTEN?' I ask.

Marley laughs and holds up a single finger. Once! He mimes vomiting, then makes a dismissive gesture to show it wasn't that bad.

'I THINK THE GOVERNMENT SENDS JOURNALISTS TO HOSPITALS TO PUBLICISE EVERY SEVERE CASE.' It's a brain stretch to put together the individual letters of so many long words and make sense of what he's saying. 'THEY'RE TRYING TO GET US ALL HOOKED ON RECON.'

Once I've digested what he's said, I shoot back, 'I THOUGHT THEY WERE TRYING TO SAVE US FROM THE DANGERS OF UNBALANCED WILD FOOD.'

But even before I've finished spelling out the words, I'm thinking of everything mum told me. Maybe the news makes food poisoning seem more common than it really is, just to get Organicore more money. But what about recon's health benefits?

'MORE LIKE CONTROL US THROUGH FORCED RELIANCE ON BIG CORPORATIONS VIA MASS MEDICATION, LACK OF KITCHENS IN WELFARE PACKAGES, PROPAGANDA IN EDUCATION...'

'RECON CURED CANCER! FIXED THE OBESITY EPIDEMIC!'

Marley squints at me, head to the side. 'I NEVER FIGURED YOU FOR A RECON GIRL.'

(pp. 107-8)

Likely this novel will appeal to 12 - 14 year old girls who may well be enthralled to read about Piper's burgeoning love for Marley, and, that elusive First Kiss.

Happy reading and viewing!

Miss ^_^

Catch Me If I Fall

 

Barry Jonsberg 2020

The story begins innocently enough with a gentle look into the family life of the 12-year-old protagonist twins, until Jonsberg drops a few sinister clues which foreshadow that all is not as it seems… something outrageous has happened to the climate, for starters. (This is not such a surprising theme given that 'climate change’ is currently a huge and controversial issue.)

As the blurb relates, one of the twins undergoes a personality change of sorts after a near fatal accident. Watching the transformation in the twins’ relationship, post-accident, is captivating – hence the title. Will their relationship survive? Throw in a super intelligent mother and a compliant father in addition to the twins, and the reader is craving to see what unfolds.

But by the time the twins meet a cluster of gypsy-like Mad-Maxian kids in the local park, and receive an ‘AI’ puppy for their birthday, you find yourself unexpectedly immersed in pure sci-fi!

              It had only taken the dog a day to learn the sound of his name… I thought that was brilliant and just the way a real dog would behave…

              ‘How does he get his power?’ asked Charlotte.

              ‘You see his fur? Each strand is a tiny fibre optic cable. All together they act like about a zillion solar panels.’ (pp.104-5)

The story’s intensity increases as it develops, throwing the reader into an almost philosophical head space where one can speculate about both surviving an apocalypse and the place of Artificial Intelligence. Yes, these themes have been done before but Jonsberg masterfully revisits each by imbibing a fresh take on them for teen readers.

I feel the ending of the novel lends itself to a sequel! I’d recommend this novel to readers aged 10 – 14. It is a satisfying sci-fi read with enough twists to keep you turning the pages.