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 ^__^
