JESS JUST READS

A BOOK REVIEW BLOG

Careless by Kirsty Capes

Sometimes it’s easy to fall between the cracks…

At 3.04 p.m. on a hot, sticky day in June, Bess finds out she’s pregnant.

She could tell her social worker Henry, but he’s useless.

She should tell her foster mother, Lisa, but she won’t understand.

She really ought to tell Boy, but she hasn’t spoken to him in weeks.

Bess knows more than anyone that love doesn’t come without conditions. But this isn’t a love story…

Kirsty Capes’ debut novel Careless is a coming-of-age story about teen pregnancy and children in care.

Observant and heartfelt, Capes’ novel is written in first person from the perspective of fifteen-year-old Bess, who learns she is pregnant in the toilet cubicle of a Golden Grill kebab shop. She can’t tell her foster mum, whose shrill and argumentative nature makes her difficult to confide in, and she can’t tell the boy she’s been dating because he clearly doesn’t care too much for her.

The strongest relationship Bess has in her life is with her best friend Eshal. When the two of them form a plan to solve Bess’ pregnancy problem, it has disastrous consequences.

“That evening, I take the 400 bus home and I watch the shiny, molten surface of the reservoir through the window, milky pinky-blue sky behind it. As the bus rounds the corner onto the estate, I look up at Stage H, thinking someday I’ll be in there, making films.”

Bess and Eshal must learn to navigate their own futures amidst people who think they what’s best for them. It’s refreshing to find a novel focusing on children in care — an aspect of society that feels largely ignored in fiction. And Eshal’s relationship with her family, and the expectation that she’ll enter an arranged marriage, is to be commended. I think Kirsty managed that plot line with sensitivity and compassion.

Many readers will be able to relate to the relationship between Bess and Boy, which unfortunately, appears one-sided. Bess is besotted with Boy, but his attention wavers between hot and cold. I’m sure many readers will have found themselves in a similar position, and be able to recognise Bess’ internal thoughts and feelings.

“I’m gasping for breath. I know he’s listening to my thoughts. I tell him in my head, It’s like Titanic. And he laughs aloud like he heard me and he kisses me. His mouth is warm and there is salt on his lips. A proper kind of kiss. My first.”

Admittedly, this wasn’t quite the story I was expecting. I thought it’d be a comedy, which it isn’t. I anticipated it’d be heartfelt and emotional, which it is, but it’s actually quite grim and dark too. A heavy story.

Bess is, at times, insufferable. Is it terrible that I found myself siding with her mother more often than Bess? Yes, her mother is unreasonable, quick-to-rage, and quick-to-blame, and her actions at the end of the novel are unforgivable, but I found Bess’ immaturity and naivety about pregnancy quite painful in the novel — almost too painful to stomach.

“It’s weird that, considering how much Eshal knows about me and what we’re about to do, I’m shy about changing in front of her. She senses this and steps out of the room, closing the door.”

Raw and dark, Careless is recommended for young readers. I didn’t feel this was the literary novel that the blurb promised — it felt like it will appeal to a younger target audience. Readership skews female, 15+

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

Careless
Kirsty Capes
May 2021
Hachette Book Publishers

Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls by Justine Ford

Can you catch a killer or find a missing person?

Australia is ‘the lucky country’. But not for everyone. Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls tells thirteen stories of people whose luck ran out in the most mysterious of circumstances.

It’s a journalistic deep-dive into Australia’s dark heart by one of Australia’s premier true crime writers, Justine Ford, the acclaimed bestselling author of Unsolved Australia and The Good Cop.

Why are four people missing from a Western Australian doomsday cult? Who abducted and murdered beauty queen Bronwynne Richardson on pageant night? And why is a cooked chook important evidence in the outback disappearance of Paddy Moriarty?

Key players are interviewed, evidence laid out and suspects assessed. Never-before-published information is revealed. Can you help crack the case and solve these mysteries?

Hold tight as Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls takes you on a chilling yet inspiring true crime rollercoaster ride where the final destination is hope.

Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls is a fascinating record of 13 Australians who have gone missing and have never been found, written by well-known Australian crime writer Justine Ford.

Each section of the book focuses on a different missing person, detailing their life and the final days that anyone saw them alive. If there have been any updates on the case in recent decades, Justine has included that. This book is very comprehensive, very detailed, and incredibly researched.

Additionally, the book features interviews with six key crime personnel, such as former police detectives, investigative journalists, private investigators, and criminologists. These interviews are fascinating, reading about their career trajectories, their experiences, and what they remember most about cold cases from their careers.

“When cops are described as ‘dogged’ it means they are the kinds of police who go the extra mile to crack a case. They are the investigators who spend sleepless nights wondering, Is there something I missed? They are the cops who struggle to accept it when they cannot find the answers.”

The book is a plea to the readers, asking them to read the stories and provide help with any clues or information they may see that has been missed. There are people out there who know what happened to these thirteen individuals — reading these stories may jog someone’s memory.

Generous rewards are on offer for anyone that can help with each case. Although, quite a few of these missing persons disappeared decades ago, so I understand it’d be very unlikely someone will read this and remember anything useful to police.

“What was unusual — for them, at least — was the strange entity they saw bobbing in the water on the starboard side of their boat. It must be an animal, they thought, maybe a dog…The men looked once, they looked twice, and then agreed: it was a human body.”

Justine’s tone is appropriate for the subject matter — she’s compassionate and caring, and you can tell she genuinely wants to find out what happened to these missing persons. She also does well to present all of the relevant information to the reader in a succinct, clear manner.

“For half an hour the police boat judders across the swell until what looks like a dot on the horizon — a farmhouse — comes into sight. It’s lonely out here and the ocean surrounding the property ahead is hundreds, if not thousands, of metres deep.”

At almost 300 pages, I grew emotionally exhausted by the end of the story. There are no solutions or answers to these cold cases. Reading about thirteen people who disappeared in strange circumstances and have never been seen again was mentally draining towards the end.

I’d recommend readers pace themselves with this book. Each section of the book is an appropriate length — long enough to include all the facts, information, and updates on the case, but not too long where you feel your attention waning.

Recommended for true crime lovers.

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

Unsolved Australia: Lost Boys, Gone Girls
Justine Ford
July 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton

Andy and Terry live in the world’s craziest treehouse. They like making books and telling jokes. And now they’ve made the world’s funniest jokebook!

From bears to birds, penguins to pirates and skeletons to space, there are gags galore. Perfect for fans of the Treehouse series! A bumper book of hilarity and craziness, and the perfect Xmas stocking filler.

Q: What’s grey and powdery?
A: Instant elephant mix.

Clocking in at almost 300 pages, The Treehouse Joke Book by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton is a compilation of hilarious jokes and riddles for children and adults. The Treehouse series may be aimed at children, but this joke book will not just humour kids — adults will find themselves laughing as well.

I’m almost 30 and I have no children and I found this book incredibly enjoyable. I laughed out aloud at many of the jokes, and when I next need to buy a present for a young child, this is what I’ll be getting them.

Here are a select few of my favourite jokes from the book:

Q: Why did Tigger go to the bathroom?
A: He was looking for his friend Pooh.

Q: Why can’t you hear a pterodactyl go to the toilet?
A: Because it has a silent ‘p’

Q: Why do some fish live at the bottom of the ocean?
A: Because they dropped out of school

The book is split up into sections — Bear Jokes, Sheep Jokes, Space Jokes, Food Jokes, Monkey Jokes, etc. There are 26 sections in total. Some jokes I’d heard before, but most of these were completely new to me.

Every single page of the book features some sort of illustration from Terry Denton, and they’re the perfect accompaniment to these jokes. His illustration style is unique and recognisable, that scratchy-looking drawing style that children love to look at.

Many of the illustrations feature further words, jokes or speech bubbles, so a child could spend hours reading this book because there’s so much in these pages for them to browse through. This book is well worth the $12.99 price tag.

Recommended for parents and children.

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

The Treehouse Joke Book
Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton
October 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers

The Rip by Mark Brandi

A young woman living on the street has to keep her wits about her. Or her friends. But when the drugs kick in that can be hard.

Anton has been looking out for her. She was safe with him. But then Steve came along.
He had something over Anton. Must have. But he had a flat they could crash in. And gear in his pocket. And she can’t stop thinking about it. A good hit makes everything all right.
But the flat smells weird.

There’s a lock on Steve’s bedroom door. And the guy is intense. The problem is, sometimes you just don’t know you are in too deep, until you are drowning.

The Rip by Mark Brandi is an urban crime novel set in Melbourne.

The plot itself is not overly complex — two friends live homeless on the streets of Melbourne, with the young girl’s dog, Sunny. They’ve both come from troublesome childhoods and adolescent years, but they have learnt how to live as comfortably as they can. They feel safe where they are. Until they meet Steve.

“It’s funny how quick it happens and without you really noticing. Anton said once that it’s like walking out into the sea, and you think everything’s fine and the water’s warm, but when you turn back you’re suddenly miles from shore. I’ve never been much of a swimmer, but I get what he means. Like, being caught in a current or something. A rip.”

This book is raw and emotional, rich and powerful. These characters are troubled and flawed, but they draw the reader in. Mark Brandi is such a wonderful writer. He captures dialogue so well, and even with very little plot, he is able to engage an audience. The Rip is predominantly character-driven, and it’s fantastic.

Truthfully, this was going to be one of my favourite reads of the last 12 months. This was going to be a book that I would shove in people’s faces and demand that they read. This was, by far, one of the best examples of writing I’d come across.

…until I got to the end of the book.

The ending makes no sense to me. It’s almost like Mark wrote a few chapters and then cut them out of the manuscript. There’s a mystery in the book surrounding Steve and his bedroom, and the mysterious barrels. That mystery is never explained. All of a sudden, the plot jumps forward in time with no explanation of what happened in between. Sure, there’s a quick mention of a ‘court case’ but that’s it. What was in the barrels? We can guess, but what really happened?

The first thing I did was look at reviews online, and I found comfort in knowing many many other readers felt the same anger and frustration at the ending as I did. All the brilliant writing and masterful work Mark Brandi put into this book felt completely wasted at the end.

“I take Sunny by the rope and walk quickly up the street. He follows me for a bit, but gives up once I get round the corner. Look, I’m not ungrateful or anything — the food was nice, the apple pie especially — but it seems like everything comes with strings attached. With some people, anyway. Like, they can’t just do you a favour without expecting something in return, you know?”

The Rip is full of beautiful writing, with characters who are fragile, yet incredibly strong. The book is engrossing and riveting and I loved it all, until the end. Many readers will love this. But many readers will not love the ending.

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

The Rip
Mark Brandi
March 2019
Hachette Book Publishers

Neverland by Margot McGovern

After doing herself near-fatal harm, Kit has returned to her island home. But it’s a place she hardly recognises: the witch and the mermaids are hiding and the pirates have sailed to more bountiful shores. In their place is Neverland and its inhabitants – damaged teens too sick to be in regular school, watched over by her psychiatrist uncle. And now Kit is one of them.

Kit has a choice. She can use illicit night-time adventures with friends and mysterious new boy Rohan to avoid the truth. Or she can separate harsh reality from childhood fantasy and remember the night of her parents’ deaths.

What really prompted her family’s departure from the island? Did a monster drive them away? Is the monster still there?

Neverland by Margot McGovern is a debut contemporary YA novel that explores family, trauma and mental illness.

This is a contemporary retelling of Peter Pan, transforming the classic fairytale we all love into a vastly different YA novel about a school for mentally ill teenagers — The Lost Ones — and their journey towards becoming better. Kit is sent there after self-harming.

Margot captures mental illness incredibly well but she also approaches it with sensitivity. Kit is damaged and bitter, but she’s had a really tough childhood that she’s struggling to overcome.

“Dr Ward had been angling to get me on her couch for years. She’d pestered me to make appointments with her whenever I was home between schools, ostensibly offering a sympathetic ear after Doc had finished chewing me out over whatever I’d done to merit my latest expulsion.”

The setting of Neverland is one of its strengths. Kit was raised in Neverland, which is the unofficial name for Learmonth. This island is enclosed and secluded, allowing the reader to feel like they’re invited to this private story full of secrets and twists.

Additionally, there is this magical element to this world. Kit tells stories to help herself cope with the death of her parents — her memories are deeply repressed and she doesn’t really know what is real and what isn’t. Kit has retreated into her own fantasy stories because she’s struggling to deal with reality. At night, she escapes her boarding house to go on adventures and to explore the island that she grew up on. Slowly, memories from her childhood resurface and she’s forced to face what she’s been trying to bury.

“Speaking with Doc had gummed up my thoughts and left me feeling guilty. I knew I wouldn’t sleep and wanted nothing more than to disappear into Neverland, so I veered off the path and made my way to Siren Rock, which jutted over Smugglers Cove.”

Neverland is engaging and suspenseful, but also incredibly confronting. Margot doesn’t shy away from Kit’s self-harm, and at times it’s incredibly detailed and descriptive. Kit’s mental illness is also very well developed, and Margot shows the reader just how complicated mental illness is and how many layers there are to one’s mental health.

This school is for teenagers who are troubled, so the book explores more than just self-harm, but also anorexia and bi-polar disorder. This adds depth to the location in the book, and the dynamic between all of the characters. And these teenagers are not just navigating their way through their illness, but also their relationships, family and friendships. All of the this contributes to the rich layers in Neverland.

“The reason I couldn’t talk about my parents’ deaths was because I couldn’t remember. Which is odd, because I was there when it happened. Dissociative amnesia, Doc called it.”

Despite there being a few unrealistic elements to this story, in particular how these teenagers always manage to sneak out at night quite easily, there’s not much I can fault about Neverland. I found it brave and powerful, but also unique and a complete surprise. It’ll be an enjoyable read for all readers — young and old. I highly recommend this book.

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

Neverland
Margot McGovern
April 2018
Penguin Random House Australia