Outside In by Chrissie Keighery
Hardie Grant Egmont,
Victoria. 2009.
This
Australian novel is about
teenagers' angst but serves as a stark contrast to the often slick
American
versions.
The boys and girls here are all struggling to cope with family or self
esteem
issues. We have parental separation, anorexia and bulimia, teenage
crushes, and
loneliness.
The difference
here is that the group
members are supportive of each other and it is this which enables them
to
survive and grow. Parents are often remote or absent. We get inside the
kids'
heads and understand their confusion. Jordan and Jack realize they have
in
common spending part of the week with their fathers, Sam is mortified
when a
girl tells him he needs to shave, talented Cecilia feels she must be
perfect,
Meredith laughs too much to cover up her inadequencies and Renee is the
outsider.
Whilst it
feels all too authentic,
sadly, there isn't much plot, nor much fun either. It seems to be aimed
at
either reassuring certain teenagers they are not alone or
educating/confronting
others about the plights of their classmates. Either way it offers
insight into
why people behave as they do.
It's just that neither the cover
nor the blurb call out to be picked up and there is nothing
particularly
distinguishing about any of the characters. The 14 year old I gave it
to
enjoyed it, but found the ending too
sudden
and vague. The book does finish on a positive note and emphasizes the
healing power
of friendship.
One for the
library; teachers and
librarians could direct certain students to it.
Kevyna Gardner