JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

The Making of Christina by Meredith Jaffe

Interior designer Christina Clemente is caught off guard by an intense affair with her charismatic client. Jackson Plummer quickly becomes the cure to Christina’s loneliness and a surrogate father to her young daughter Bianca.

When Jackson suggests moving to a run-down farm in the mountains, Christina is uncertain about uprooting their lives in the city. She soon forgets her hesitation, absorbing herself in restoring the rambling century-old house, Bartholomews Run, and becoming obsessed with solving its mysterious history.

But while living on the isolated farm, her once effervescent child transforms into a quiet sullen teenager and Christina increasingly struggles to connect with her. Because Bianca has a secret. And the monstrous truth threatens to destroy them all.

The Making of Christina is an emotionally charged exploration of family abuse. Told from a mother’s perspective, this novel switches between past and present and centres around the relationship between Christina and Jackson Plummer.

The first chapter of the book positions Jackson Plummer as an untrustworthy character. It is one month before Christmas, and we meet our protagonist Christina. She is visited by a woman named Sarah Plummer, who reveals she is dying. She’s come to talk to Christina following Jackson’s trial and how Christina should learn to forgive herself for what happened to Bianca. Sarah is Jackson’s ex-wife, who Jackson cheated on when he first met Christina. We later learn that Christina and Jackson were engaging in an affair for years before he left Sarah and their three children.

‘My children have taken this thing with their father very badly. Ashleigh’s out of control,’ Sarah begins.
‘Simon, well he’s cut from the same cloth as his father.’
Christina glares over the paddocks.
‘Oh I didn’t mean like that.’ Sarah’s hands flutter. ‘I meant hard, uncompromising, well, you know.’ Her smile is grim.

We soon start to piece the pictures together. Particularly when Sarah talks about how Jackson did the same thing to her son Josh:

Sarah continues, ‘Anyway, the point is, I assumed it had to be Ash because she was always daddy’s little girl. Because she was highly strung and unpredictable. She fitted the stereotype…all the time it was Josh….I didn’t realise until after the trial when he tried to hang himself.’

This is not a spoiler, and in fact we find all of this out within the first 6 pages of the book. It’s very clever of Meredith Jaffe. It means there’s no shocking twist or cliff-hanger later in the book. In fact, it’s one of those plots where we know more than what the protagonist does and we can see things from a different perspective.

The Making of Christina navigates between past and present. In the present, Jackson has been sentenced to prison for what he did to Bianca, and Christina is trying to move on with her life and rebuild her relationship with her daughter. Christmas is fast approaching and Christina is hoping Bianca will honour her promise to come home for the holidays.

In the past, we find out all about the relationship between Christina and Jackson Plummer. We go right back to the beginning when Christina first meets Jackson. Christina has a young daughter – Bianca – and has split from Bianca’s father. Jackson seems charming and a perfect gentleman. The two begin a heated affair, and in total are together for 13 years. But as the years pass by, we learn that things aren’t always what they seem. As Bianca hits her teenage years, they move to a rural property called Bartholomews Run. There, the family are isolated and Bianca’s life seems to deteriorate. She’s withdrawn and she’s not sleeping. Christina tries to understand what is wrong, but she can’t seem to see the signs.

“Thoughts jostled inside her head. Was it just her? Every time she tried to interact with her daughter, Bianca ran like a scalded cat. Christina had no basis of comparison, no way of knowing if this was a normal relationship to have with a teenage girl or whether she was a terrible mother.”

It is a little frustrating that Christina seems too distracted or too trusting and completely misses what I believe are major clues to what’s going on between Jackson and Bianca. But I guess that’s the point, isn’t it? This happens all the time in real life and yet family members have absolutely no idea. This book is an exploration of family abuse, but also family relations and blind love.

Meredith Jaffe is a really talented writer. The characters are constructed so well that you feel like you know everything about them, and the plot is well-paced and suspenseful. I really loved reading this book, and I thought the author has written something really marvellous.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Making of Christina
Meredith Jaffe
August 2017
Pan Macmillan

Living the Dream by Lauren Berry

Emma is a rising star at the marketing firm she works at as a “creative,” but would have trouble describing what exactly it is she does all day. She pours most of her actual creative energy into a popular blog that all of her friends agree is brilliant, but she has yet to make a cent on it.

Clem is a massively talented screenwriter just back from New York, where she picked up a fancy graduate degree in film. But until she convinces an agent to take on her masterpiece script, she’s stuck hostessing at the bar she frequented as an undergrad, and the only calls she’s getting are about bills past due and overdrawn bank accounts. In their ironclad friendship both girls find a reliable break from the post-collegiate absurdities and indignities that seem to abound in life right at the moment they feel they should finally be getting it all together.

Perfect for young, creative readers who feel like they haven’t yet accomplished what they set out to do, Living the Dream is about two women in New York City who are working jobs they hate so they can pursue their dream on the side.

Emma wants to be a writer, and Clem wants to be a screenwriter. But when they both live in New York City and can’t seem to get anyone to take them seriously, their lives are far from what they expected them to be.

Emma was the more likeable of the characters, working full-time in corporate advertising and on the side publishing her writing on her blog. I felt like she was a realistic character, because most creative people need a full-time job so they can pay the rent and feed themselves. Until they ‘make it’, their creative passion probably isn’t going to make them a lot of money.

“She pressed the button on the back of her computer and waited for the techno sigh that signalled the start of the day. She typed in her password (Fresh_He11) and shoved her jacket under the desk. (DEAR ALL, Please keep your coats and bags out of sight and NOT on your chairs as they are unsightly. Thx.)”

Clementine was quite the frustrating character. Yes, she’s a talented screenwriter. But she’s not an overly smart person and I don’t feel like she has a lot of common sense. She also seems really ungrateful. She moves around between work and doesn’t try hard to actually earn any money, constantly borrowing money from her family and living at home. She also seems to immediately spend whatever money she does earn.

“Clem sat in front of the rickety piece of crap her mum called the computer and stared at her bank balance. She was fucked…Malcolm had offered her a temp job at his company, and she had politely declined. She needed some income, fast.”

There’s not much plot to this book, so I think it’s more of a character-driven story. I think it’s also got a niche target market – young creatives who understand Emma and Clem’s struggles.

I would’ve liked to have seen some of Emma’s writing incorporated into the book. She doesn’t have much luck with her love life, but it provides material for her blog…except, we never get to read what she’s posting. I think this would’ve been an easy way to bring more humour into the book.

There are definitely some humorous moments in this book, and young women will be able to relate to the characters and some of the situations that they find themselves in. Whilst the book is lacking a plot, it’s not a hard read. You don’t feel like you’re forcing yourself to keep going. This is quite a light, fun story featuring two determined, talented women.

“For the next couple of hours, Emma sat on a bench with Ross, who told her she even looked hot vomiting off a tree.”

I think if you’re someone who has ever felt ‘stuck’ in your life, whether that’s with love or work, then you’ll really enjoy this book. I also think millennials will really get Emma and Clem’s struggles. It’s definitely for adults though, because I don’t think teenagers would enjoy this book as much. They’re probably not the target readership.

Living the Dream is for all those undiscovered geniuses out there, waiting to be discovered.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Living the Dream
Lauren Berry
July 2017
Hachette Book Publishers

Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth

Tash has to follow many rules to survive in Tibet, a country occupied by Chinese soldiers. But when a man sets himself on fire in protest and soldiers seize Tash’s parents, she and her best friend Sam must break the rules. They are determined to escape Tibet – and seek the help of the Dalai Lama himself in India.

And so, with a backpack of Tash’s father’s mysterious papers and two trusty yaks by their side, their extraordinary journey across the mountains begins.

This is a wonderful debut novel from Jess Butterworth. Set against the backdrop of political turmoil in Tibet, Sam and Tash escape the mountains after Tash’s parents are arrested by the Chinese police. The kids are carrying a coded message from Tash’s father and the resistance, and they embark on a long, arduous journey to India in search of the Dalai Lama. Tash and Sam believe that the Dalai Lama will help Tash get his parents back.

“We move silently through the alleys, away from the patrol. My shoulders and neck ache from the weight. We pass the Yak stables. Eve sticks her head over the half-door. She watches me with her dark eyes and sniffs with her big nostrils. Her pupils are wide; she knows something is wrong. I wish I could take her with me.”

The book consists of extremely short chapters, which is perfect for kids who can’t read for too long without being distracted. There are decorative illustrations lining the pages and chapter title pages, which make it a beautiful children’s book for older middle grade readers.

“Have you had any more ideas about the code?’ I whisper to Sam.
He shakes his head.
‘Come and eat,’ says the younger man, ushering us back to the truck. I shove the letter back in my pocket.”

Jess’ prose is very choppy and abrupt, allowing the story to move forward at a fast pace and helping to keep the reader interested. It’s also very evocative writing. The sentences string together effortlessly and the dialogue is extremely realistic.

“The last row of soldiers passes and we lie and wait until they’re far enough away. I watch a spider rotating in its web from the vibrations.”

This is a children’s book that is both enjoyable and informative, allowing the reader insight into the political relations in Tibet and India. People might think this book could be a little heavy for young readers but I found it to be the opposite – Jess Butterworth has written a children’s novel where the topic is really accessible to readers. It doesn’t beat them over the head with it. At the end of the day, this is an adventure story. It may be about two children fleeing their homes in search of safety, but it’s also a tense, fast-paced adventure. And at times, there are a few mysteries involved that kids will love reading about and trying to decipher.

“I wonder just how many people are in the resistance and think about the different reasons they might have joined. I know I’m not the only one with parents in prison.”

This is a great book for kids who want adventure and journeys to read about, but also those kids who struggle to stay focused on a book and need something that doesn’t have overly long chapters. The writing is wonderful and so are the characters and the story. The beauty of the book is the simple way it tackles the topic. It certainly opened my eyes, and I imagine it would other readers as well.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Running on the Roof of the World
Jess Butterworth
June 2017
Hachette Book Publishers
Children’s Book for Ages 9-12

Wimmera by Mark Brandi

In the long, hot summer of 1989, Ben and Fab are best friends.

Growing up in a small country town, they spend their days playing cricket, yabbying in local dams, wanting a pair of Nike Air Maxes and not talking about how Fab’s dad hits him or how the sudden death of Ben’s next-door neighbour unsettled him. Almost teenagers, they already know some things are better left unsaid.

Then a newcomer arrived in the Wimmera. Fab reckoned he was a secret agent and he and Ben staked him out. Up close, the man’s shoulders were wide and the veins in his arms stuck out, blue and green. His hands were enormous, red and knotty. He looked strong. Maybe even stronger than Fab’s dad. Neither realised the shadow this man would cast over both their lives.

Twenty years later, Fab is still stuck in town, going nowhere but hoping for somewhere better. Then a body is found in the river, and Fab can’t ignore the past any more.

Wimmera is a literary crime novel set in a small town with a big secret. Ben and Fab are best friends, and the book explores their friendship in various stages of their lives, from when they’re young boys to when they’re older. The two boys share a secret that they don’t speak of.

The novel is broken up into three parts. The first part takes place during the hot summer of 1989, when Ben gets a new neighbour, Ronnie. Daisy Wolfe and her family have just recently left town after fourteen year old Daisy hung herself on the clothesline in the backyard. Ronnie moves into their house and Ben starts doing some odd jobs around his place as a way to make extra money.

The second part of the book is predominantly set twenty years later; Fab is still living in Wimmera noticeably unsettled by what happened the last few times he saw Ben. The reader is left in the dark, because part one ends on a rather abrupt note, and then part two picks up twenty years later. Ben doesn’t appear to be living in Wimmera anymore, and Fab’s life seems to be stagnant. As the reader, you start speculating what happened at the end of that summer in 1989.

The final part of the book follows a police investigation about a body that is found in the local river. Fab is called in for questioning.

Mark Brandi has a Criminal Justice degree and used to work for the Victorian Department of Justice, so a lot of the procedural and legal aspects of the book no doubt came from his own personal experience.

Brandi captures the atmosphere of a small town really well. Gossip gets around fast and there seems to be a darkness building in the town. Wimmera also feels like a town where lots of people talk, but no one seems to ask any questions. Daisy commits suicide and people seem fast to move on from it, especially after the Wolfe family move away from town. When Ben goes to a party and people are gossiping about why they think Daisy committed suicide, there seems to be no sense of urgency to find out the real reason. Rather, everyone goes about living their lives. This contributes to the overall melancholic feel of the book – you feel like these characters are stuck in this town and that they’re never going to leave. And then when you move on to part two, you realise that Fab is indeed stuck in this town.

“He tried to imagine Daisy’s body hanging from that old steel clothesline, creaking as it shifted in the wind. He could see her dark eyes and her legs, perfectly white, swinging in the air.”

The writing is fantastic. It’s lyrical, evocative and vivid and the Brandi allows us to really understand these characters without actually telling us a whole lot about them. Through their circumstances, and how they act in certain situations, we learn all about the boys and the nature of their friendship. Fab’s dad hits him, but Ben doesn’t really say anything about it to Fab or anyone else, and Ben’s new neighbour Ronnie really unsettles him, but Fab doesn’t trust his instinct enough to do anything about it (or ask Ben about it). At times, both characters turn a blind eye to what they don’t want to discuss.

“The first time Ben went to Ronnie’s house was to cut the grass. It was Saturday and he played cricket in the morning at Great Western and they won…When Ben got home after cricket, his mum told him Ronnie had come by and he’d have to go over there after lunch.”

The first part of the book is most definitely the strongest section of Wimmera. I actually wanted to find out more about that summer, and felt like Mark didn’t develop the boys’ friendship as much as he could have. I understand what his intention was. He wanted to end part one on a rather gut-wrenching moment, but when I started part two I was actually quite disappointed with where the book went and I would’ve liked to go back to the summer of 1989. The transition between Ben’s story in 1989, to Fab’s story twenty years later, felt rather disjointed.

Ronnie was a predictable character, and I was not surprised at all when he and Ben’s ‘friendship’ became something more. I personally felt like the police investigation and the resulting trial was rushed and was too quick, and that part of the book should’ve either been bulked up and developed further, or just cut out of the book completely. There would’ve been more suspense and intrigue if the body was found but we didn’t find out absolutely everything that happened on the night of that character’s death. The book was building up really slowly and Mark Brandi was drawing the reader in with all this mystery, and then I hit part three and all of a sudden it’s moving at 100 miles per hour and the pacing doesn’t quite match the rest of the book.

I recommend this book to people who love crime fiction. This may be quite a literary book, but at the heart of the story is a mysterious death and Mark pulls you in right from the first page. People who loved The Dry by Jane Harper or Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey will love Wimmera.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wimmera
Mark Brandi
July 2017
Hachette Book Publishers

The Shark Club by Anna Kidd Taylor

On a summer day in 1988, two extraordinary things happen to twelve-year-old Maeve Donnelly. First, she is kissed by Daniel, the boy of her dreams. Then, she is attacked by a blacktip shark.

Eighteen years later, Maeve is a world-travelling marine biologist studying and swimming with the very animals that once threatened her life. Maeve is fearless in the water. On land, however, Maeve is haunted by painful memories, and indecisive about the path her life will take. When she returns to her childhood home on the small island off Florida’s coast where she grew up, she finds that her twin brother may be about to make it big as novelist, using her love life as his jumping-off point.

Will she confront her feelings about her brother’s betrayal – and forgive her childhood sweetheart, Daniel, the missteps of their youth? Or will she dive headlong back into her research and open her heart to Nicholas, the handsome colleague who shares her passion for the ocean?

The Shark Club is a bittersweet story about the power of forgiveness and the promise of true love. Ann Kidd Taylor is a talented writer, with beautiful imagery and description and a real knack for evoking certain feelings and emotions out of the reader.

“Tucking away a long strand of hair that floated in front of my scuba mask, I kicked through the blue-green waters of Bimini on the last day of my research term, keeping watch for Sylvia, a five-foot, four-year-old lemon shark I’d named for oceanographer Sylvia Earle.”

The book is part romance but also part mystery, when someone on the small island is running a shark finning operation and Maeve is determined to find out who it is. There’s definitely a bit of environmental activism coming through in the book, but not the ‘beat you over the head’ kind of activism where you feel like the author is preaching at you.

“It happened near here, didn’t it?” he asked.
‘Less than ten miles. A hundred sharks were slaughtered for their fins, and I’ve heard nothing about an investigation and only one news report – a TV reporter asked some guy on the beach about it and he basically said the best shark was a dead one. This is what we’re up against.’

The Shark Club is rich with description and setting, and Ann Kidd Taylor captures the world of underwater animals wonderfully. It’s clear that she’s done her research.

Most of the characters in the book are flawed. Maeve can’t stick up for herself when she needs to, and lets old feeling resurface. And her brother just floats between jobs and doesn’t have the drive to really stick it out or put enough effort in.

I do have a couple of pet peeves about the book. At only 274 pages, Ann Kidd Taylor doesn’t allow the reader to really understand all of the characters. There felt like gaps in the story and the plot moves a little too quickly.

“He walked toward me and didn’t stop until he was kissing me. Everything came back with strange suddenness. Memories, the old feelings, the believing, the wanting. And then a sort of deja vu.”

I found it a little unrealistic that Daniel’s daughter would have such a keen interest in sharks and would therefore bond so heavily with Maeve. I also found it unrealistic that Maeve would feel like she has to be friends with this young girl (she really should’ve told Daniel to stick it). And finally, it seemed awfully convenient that Hazel’s mother had recently just died.

I would have preferred it if Nicholas didn’t exist in the novel at all and instead, Hazel’s mother did. I think it would’ve made for a better love triangle and a more engaging power dynamic. After all, Nicholas is gone for most of the book anyway so he’s not there long enough for the reader to really get to know him. It doesn’t make us want to fight for him when Maeve has to decide which guy to stay with.

The Shark Club feels a bit like literary chick-lit, so I’d recommend this book to those of you who love a romance story with a bit of mystery on the side.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Shark Club
Ann Kidd Taylor
June 2017
Hachette Book Publishers

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