The Sky So Heavy by Claire Zorn
What's it about?
After school one afternoon, news filters through of explosions in the north of Asia, and by the next morning, there's a nuclear winter across most of the world. In Australia's Blue Mountains, Fin fights for the survival of himself and his little brother Max. They team up with his love-interest, Lucy, and a classmate who everyone used to bully, Arnold, to get to Sydney and try to find safety and Fin's mother. But the effects of the bombs go further than Fin imagined. Around them, the government is making hard decisions: decisions like who lives and who dies.
Who's it for?
Like most apocalyptic YA fiction, this is aimed at a wide audience and may appeal to
Would I recommend it?
Yes, even though it's not my usual preferred genre. There are some great themes in here (survival, family, religion, love, politics) and the characters strike that great balance between flawed and likeable. Zorn has said she was inspired by debates surrounding Asylum seekers and she does a great job of bringing that forward without preaching.
Would I teach it?
Yes, I think it's easy for students to relate to and the action/death/war is treated seriously enough and with enough moral questions to make it a worthwhile choice for a class novel study. Without wanting to make gross generalisations, I also think it's a particularly good choice for mixed and male-dominated classrooms. There are teacher's notes here.
What's it about?
After school one afternoon, news filters through of explosions in the north of Asia, and by the next morning, there's a nuclear winter across most of the world. In Australia's Blue Mountains, Fin fights for the survival of himself and his little brother Max. They team up with his love-interest, Lucy, and a classmate who everyone used to bully, Arnold, to get to Sydney and try to find safety and Fin's mother. But the effects of the bombs go further than Fin imagined. Around them, the government is making hard decisions: decisions like who lives and who dies.
Who's it for?
Like most apocalyptic YA fiction, this is aimed at a wide audience and may appeal to
Would I recommend it?
Yes, even though it's not my usual preferred genre. There are some great themes in here (survival, family, religion, love, politics) and the characters strike that great balance between flawed and likeable. Zorn has said she was inspired by debates surrounding Asylum seekers and she does a great job of bringing that forward without preaching.
Would I teach it?
Yes, I think it's easy for students to relate to and the action/death/war is treated seriously enough and with enough moral questions to make it a worthwhile choice for a class novel study. Without wanting to make gross generalisations, I also think it's a particularly good choice for mixed and male-dominated classrooms. There are teacher's notes here.
Floundering by Romy Ash
What's it about?
Young brothers Tom and Jordy haven't seen their mother, Loretta, since she left them at their grandparents' house a few years ago. But when Loretta shows up one afternoon as they're walking home from school, they get in the car with her. From there, Loretta takes the boys across the country to a west coast caravan park, with no real plans for their future. Her inadequacies become more and more obvious as the story progresses, until it's clear that Loretta can't be the mother Tom and Jordy need.
Who's it for?
Adults, particularly those interested in more literary works and slower-moving character studies.
Would I recommend it?
Hesitantly, yes. I may be on the fence because I read it right after reading some much faster moving, plot-heavy books, and to be perfectly blunt, I was bored in places. I didn't feel the suspense that others have written about. But there's no doubt that this book has a great voice and deals with some important themes in a gentle but uncompromising way. Ash crafts deeply damaged characters and doesn't expect the reader to sympathise with them, but she also doesn't judge them.
Would I teach it?
No, I think even for senior or higher-ability junior classes it wouldn't appeal to enough students and some of the themes aren't really appropriate. This one's for us to read in our own time if it interests us.
Floundering by Romy Ash
What's it about?
Young brothers Tom and Jordy haven't seen their mother, Loretta, since she left them at their grandparents' house a few years ago. But when Loretta shows up one afternoon as they're walking home from school, they get in the car with her. From there, Loretta takes the boys across the country to a west coast caravan park, with no real plans for their future. Her inadequacies become more and more obvious as the story progresses, until it's clear that Loretta can't be the mother Tom and Jordy need.
Who's it for?
Adults, particularly those interested in more literary works and slower-moving character studies.
Would I recommend it?
Hesitantly, yes. I may be on the fence because I read it right after reading some much faster moving, plot-heavy books, and to be perfectly blunt, I was bored in places. I didn't feel the suspense that others have written about. But there's no doubt that this book has a great voice and deals with some important themes in a gentle but uncompromising way. Ash crafts deeply damaged characters and doesn't expect the reader to sympathise with them, but she also doesn't judge them.
Would I teach it?
No, I think even for senior or higher-ability junior classes it wouldn't appeal to enough students and some of the themes aren't really appropriate. This one's for us to read in our own time if it interests us.
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
What's it about?
In late nineteenth-century Iceland, Agnes Magnusdottir awaits a death sentence for the murder of two men. As she waits for her execution date to be set, she's sent to a farm to live with a family of four (two grown-up daughters) where she works as a servant. Preparing Agnes for her "meeting with the Lord" is a young priest, Toti, who begins to break through Agnes' silent outer. Relationships get more complicated, rumours appear and are left unanswered, and the truth of what happened that night is something that only Agnes knows.
Who's it for?
This is another piece of literary fiction, and one that I suspect has appealed especially to women. Themes of family, reputation, love, sex and mortality do of course cross gender lines, but they're viewed from a distinctly feminine perspective.
Would I recommend it?
Yes. This was a much talked about book - not just because of the bidding war and subsequent publishing deal - and I had high expectations. I think I may have set them slightly too high, which is always a risk when something has this big a reputation, but I enjoyed Burial Rites and I would recommend it to others. Again, being bluntly honest, there were places that I skimmed or found slow, but this is probably due to me rather than Kent - I have little appreciation for descriptions and with an objective eye I can see that they're one of her biggest strengths.
Would I teach it?
No, I don't think so. In both style and content, it's more suited to older audiences.
Final Thoughts
This is a post of prize-winners: books that don't really need more reviews to sell. But that may be exactly why you should read them; they're all well-written novels that have built a name for themselves. Claire Zorn's second novel, The Protected, won the CBCA Book of the Year. Floundering was on the Miles Franklin Prize shortlist. As I've already noted, Burial Rites has been much talked about in the past year or so and won half a dozen prizes including the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year. I am keen to expand my horizons and read more books that don't get that kind of attention, but at the same time, to deliberately avoid popular or prize-winning books would be to deny myself some great writing.
Mapping my literary travels around Australia, I can add pins to the Blue Mountains just inland of Sydney, the coast somewhere in Western Australia, and... Iceland. Might need a world map.
What's it about?
In late nineteenth-century Iceland, Agnes Magnusdottir awaits a death sentence for the murder of two men. As she waits for her execution date to be set, she's sent to a farm to live with a family of four (two grown-up daughters) where she works as a servant. Preparing Agnes for her "meeting with the Lord" is a young priest, Toti, who begins to break through Agnes' silent outer. Relationships get more complicated, rumours appear and are left unanswered, and the truth of what happened that night is something that only Agnes knows.
Who's it for?
This is another piece of literary fiction, and one that I suspect has appealed especially to women. Themes of family, reputation, love, sex and mortality do of course cross gender lines, but they're viewed from a distinctly feminine perspective.
Would I recommend it?
Yes. This was a much talked about book - not just because of the bidding war and subsequent publishing deal - and I had high expectations. I think I may have set them slightly too high, which is always a risk when something has this big a reputation, but I enjoyed Burial Rites and I would recommend it to others. Again, being bluntly honest, there were places that I skimmed or found slow, but this is probably due to me rather than Kent - I have little appreciation for descriptions and with an objective eye I can see that they're one of her biggest strengths.
Would I teach it?
No, I don't think so. In both style and content, it's more suited to older audiences.
Final Thoughts
This is a post of prize-winners: books that don't really need more reviews to sell. But that may be exactly why you should read them; they're all well-written novels that have built a name for themselves. Claire Zorn's second novel, The Protected, won the CBCA Book of the Year. Floundering was on the Miles Franklin Prize shortlist. As I've already noted, Burial Rites has been much talked about in the past year or so and won half a dozen prizes including the ABIA Literary Fiction Book of the Year. I am keen to expand my horizons and read more books that don't get that kind of attention, but at the same time, to deliberately avoid popular or prize-winning books would be to deny myself some great writing.
Mapping my literary travels around Australia, I can add pins to the Blue Mountains just inland of Sydney, the coast somewhere in Western Australia, and... Iceland. Might need a world map.
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