Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker

Released: 1 March 2021

Published by: Allen and Unwin

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Source: Publisher

Pages: 396

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

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What if Juliet Capulet met someone who made her doubt true love? What if Wuthering Heights was a message to a time traveller? A cosmic reimagining of Romeo and Juliet and homage to two literary classics in a compelling novel about fate, love and time travel from an award-winning author. YEAR: 2083. LOCATION: LONDON. MISSION: WAKE ROMEO. It's the end of the world. Literally. Time travel is possible, but only forwards. And only a handful of families choose to remain in the 'now', living off the scraps that were left behind. Among these are eighteen-year-old Juliet and the love of her life, Romeo. But things are far from rosy for Jules. Romeo is in a coma and she's estranged from her friends and family, dealing with the very real fallout of their wild romance. Then a handsome time traveller, Ellis, arrives with an important mission that makes Jules question everything she knows about life and love. Can Jules wake Romeo and rewrite her future? A highly original mashup that delights as it disorients ... and asks what would have happened if two great literary love stories were somehow intertwined. 

Six years ago I read an amazing book by a debut Aussie Author - In the Skin of a Monster. This year Kathryn Barker is back with another equally captivating read, and wow did it deliver. I'm calling it - Waking Romeo is the most unique book I'm going to read this year! Full of mind-bending twists, super clever links to classic literature and a message on love and life that is both delicately and fiercely told, all I can say is...read it. You won't be disappointed.

Author Interview with Kathryn Barker

Firstly, congratulations on another stunning release. In the Skin of a Monster has still stuck with me 6 years after reading it and Waking Romeo is just as captivating! How did the idea for this new book come about and what were your biggest motivators to release a second book?

Thanks so much for your kind words - I’m trilled that In the Skin of a Monster and Waking Romeo resonated with you! As for where the idea for Waking Romeo came from… I suppose it was from contemplating love stories and the romantic ideal. I read both Romeo & Juliet and Wuthering Heights when I was in high school, and (as a hopeless romantic) I was captivated by the love stories. But when I got older, I realised that the examples they set weren’t exactly healthy - especially when it came to the women. I wanted to deconstruct those two classics and imagine a story where the girl had more agency. 

As for my biggest motivators to release a second book… the simple truth is, I love writing. I also find that it helps me understand my truths, the world and my own experiences. 

Was there a particular person or influence in your life at the time of writing Waking Romeo which made a special contribution to your writing process for the book in any way?

Waking Romeo was written at a time when I was reconfiguring what love meant to me, and who I was as my own person. That experience clearly reflected in the book...so perhaps the 'significant influence' was my own personal growth and revolution.

As a time travel novel, there are so many different plot points and significant moments which you've woven so cleverly together - what was it like writing a book with such an interconnected storyline that makes use of bending timelines?

It was a challenge! Getting the plot right was enormously tricky, especially since I didn’t want it to detract from the characterisation. Having said that the Universe is full of beautiful coincidences, and so often connections would just land in my lap. When that happened, it reinforced the feeling that I was on the right track, which was wonderful.

The characters in this book were so vividly portrayed, and I especially enjoyed how the classic literary references had influence in a way I've never seen before. What were some of the most challenging/enjoyable aspects of mixing genres in this way?

Thank you so much! I suppose the biggest challenge was finding the right balance between respecting the source text/ characterisation, while giving myself permission to explore something new without feeling constrained. The most enjoyable aspect was definitely getting to dip into Shakespeare and Bronte! Getting to incorporate some of their incredible words/ worlds/ characters into my story was such a gift. 

Without giving too much away, is there a particular quote or moment from the book which means a lot to you personally?

The final page of the book is my favourite, because it encapsulates both Jules' truth and my own.

For young and older readers alike picking up Waking Romeo, is there a particular message to think about you hope they can gain from it? For me, it was definitely the focus on living each moment fully and appreciating the present, while also gaining insights on how to build on a better future.

Yes - investing in the ’now’ (rather than focusing on the past or on the future) is a big one for me too, as is caring for our environment. However, I think one of the core themes that underpins Waking Romeo is the idea of challenging romantic ideals and our concept of what love is. I hope to give readers the space to consider the ‘epic romances’ in stories like Romeo & Juliet and Wuthering Heights and think about how that stacks up against more modern ideals. 

Is there anything you can share with us on what you're currently working on/doing outside of writing?

With Waking Romeo, I really enjoyed delving into classic works of literature and then finding an angle for a modern retelling. I’m working on a new story which explores that territory again…  but the threads haven’t woven themselves together enough yet for me to explain it coherently! 

As for what I’m doing outside of writing… I’m planning a camping trip, because I want to sleep under the stars!

 

About the author

Kathryn Barker was born in Canberra, started primary school in Tokyo and finished high school in the woods outside Olympia, Washington State. In the years that followed she went to university, became a lawyer, completed her masters in film production and worked in television. She currently lives in Sydney with her family. Kathryn's first novel, In the Skin of a Monster, was published to high acclaim and won the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel, was short-listed for two Davitt Awards and was a CBCA Notable Book. Waking Romeo is her second novel.

Review: Self-Help by Lorrie Moore - A whip-smart collection on how (not) to solve life's problems

Self-Help by Lorrie Moore

Released: 1st May 2015 (original edition 1985)

Published by: Faber

Genre: Short Stories

Source: Library

Pages: 163

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Goodreads | TBD | Booktopia

Complicated, awkward, funny, cruel, heartbroken, mysterious; Self-Help forms an idiosyncratic guide to female existence which is just as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. These stories are modern America at its most real, with characters sharing thoughts and experiences they could have borrowed from our own lives.

This is how to deal with divorce, adultery, cancer, how to talk to your mother or become a writer, the Lorrie Moore way.

Self-Help is a delightfully ironic answer to the genre which the title comes from. The nine pieces here have narrators which are intelligent and very self-aware, with the reasons for their malaise clearly on display. For the reader, the solution may appear simple, the 'logical' response likened to something you may read about in (you guessed it) the 'self-help' section of a bookstore. However, what makes this so compulsively readable is Moore's insight that the answer to life's challenges are not so easy to come by; no matter how accurately one may recognise the flaws in their reasoning - the same self-destructive behaviour could inevitably occur all over again.

The first story 'How to Be an Other Woman' sets the tone for the other parodies on life-guides to follow, many told in second-person for full effect. The situation changes from 'other woman' to simply 'a woman' embarking on a new relationship in 'How'. Mocking the cliches in the course of a romantic rendezvous is something achieved with the blackest of humour and I enjoyed every page.

Feel discovered, comforted, needed, loved, and start sometimes, somehow, to feel bored. When sad or confused, walk uptown to the movies. Buy popcorn. These things come and go. A week, a month, a year. - 'How'

In my personal favourite 'How to Become a Writer', Moore tackles the haughty disdain of an English literature professor and the students in his class in a way that puts it at the top of the list for both humour and accuracy.

In creative writing seminars over the next two years, everyone continues to smoke cigarettes and ask the same things: "But does it work?" "Have you earned this cliché?" These seem like the important questions. - 'How to Become a Writer'

It's not only a doomed love-life and literary institutions that Moore critiques, as in 'Go Like This' she delves into the life of a mother with cancer who wishes to take death into her own hands. The way that the author is able to adapt her style ever so slightly to still be funny but never completely out of order when taking on these sorts of situations is a useful skill.

I am getting into the swing of it. I tell them the cancer is poisining at least three lives and that I refuse to be its accomplice. This is not a deranged act, I explain. Most of them have known for quite a while my belief that intelligent suicide is almost always preferable to stupid lingering of a graceless death. there is silence, grand as Versailles. It seems respectful. - 'Go Like This'

Amid the razor-sharp commentary is always a phrase or two which reminds us of the humanity of these characters - they're not just fictional beings, but people who could just as well be someone you'd pass on the street. Even in 'To Fill' which ends the collection, what begins as a portrayal of a woman who wants nothing more in life than to steal money for the thrill of her material obsessions turns into a deeper investigation of her marriage and connection with her mother who has 'convinced herself she is physically and mentally ill'. Most importantly, all of these stories fit cohesively, and while each may relish in its own quirky charm there's no denying that there is a pinch of reality throughout.

I am becoming hugely depressed. Like last year. Just a month ago I was better, sporting a simpler, terse sort of disenchantment, a neat black vest of sadness. Elegant ironies leaped from my mouth as fine as cuisses de grenouilles. Now he darkness sleeps and wakes in me daily like an Asian carnivore at the Philly zoo. - 'To Fill'

FINAL THOUGHTS

It's been a long time since I've found an anthology this whip-smart and satirical. This is a book which crackles with wit, and an energy which makes you look forward to each quip to arrive on the next line. I've already lined up my next read from this author because I want more. 

Review: A Million Worlds With You (Firebird #3) by Claudia Gray

A Million Worlds With You by Claudia Gray

Released: 1st November 2016

Published by: HarperCollins 

Genre: YA Science Fiction

Source: Publisher

Pages: 419

My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

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The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite’s hands in the final installment of the Firebird trilogy by New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.

Ever since she used the Firebird, her parent’s invention, to cross through alternate dimensions, Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud. Now she has learned that the evil Triad Corporation plans to destroy hundreds of universes, using their ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite who is wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.

Even though her boyfriend Paul has always been at Marguerite’s side, the Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man, and he may never be the same again. Marguerite alone must stop Triad and prevent the destruction of the multiverse. It’s a battle of the Marguerites . . . and only one can win.

In the epic conclusion to the sweeping series that kicked off with A Thousand Pieces of You, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed.

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

*This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series*

Each new quantum reality splits off when someone makes a decision. Every single world we've visited isn't just random - it's the result of countless choices, all of them combining to make a new reality. 

This highly anticipated conclusion to Claudia Gray's exhilarating Firebird series not only continues to explore the multiverse, but further inspect the characters themselves. With the stakes higher than ever as Wyatt Conley threatens to assert his dominance over multiple dimensions, and Wicked wreaking havoc wherever she travels, Marguerite is faced with more difficult decisions than ever before.

If our destiny is nothing more than a prediction of a collision, an intersection between two paths, then we don't have a destiny at all.

What first drew me to this series was the different settings, as with each new world Gray transported us to, there were new challenges for the characters to face. In A Million Worlds With You, each of the universes mentioned in the first two novels are once again acknowledged, along with a few new additions. What I did appreciate in this finale however, was the main focal point on Marguerite, Paul and Theo as they are confronted with their other selves on a deeper level. It's the dynamic trio against Triad, a mammoth task considering the cunning Conley and even more devious Wicked - one of the 'other' Marguerites, have other plans in store which could change their lives entirely. The Firebird devices themselves and the 'science' behind them were once again pivotal to the plot - especially when the situation demanded a decision which could mean the difference between life and death. The storyline was definitely taken up a notch in terms of suspense, with an epic showdown never far behind. It's a matter of good and evil, grappling with the moral question of whether it is acceptable to sacrifice a life when there is the possibility of saving many.

I've been so shaken by finding my one worst self that I never considered how much it might change our fates by finding someone else's best self. Travel through enough dimensions and maybe you'll find the hero and the villain in everyone. 

The complex romance between Paul and Marguerite is finally given some closure in this book, but what I really loved to see was Marguerite come into her own. All dimensions of her character were addressed, and her attempts to consolidate her different selves and understand who she wanted to be in her own world was a plot point skilfully executed. Gray has successfully built on all her characters in this novel, exposing their flaws and embracing their courage in the face of imminent danger. Even Marguerite's parents played an even greater role which pulled everything together as their own inventions threatened to become weapons of mass destruction. When worldbuilding and character development come together so successfully as they have in this case, it's no wonder that this series has been so popular.

FINAL THOUGHTS

A Million Worlds With You is a fitting end to a series I won't be forgetting anytime soon. This final instalment of a trilogy which I've been invested in from the first page has matched the ingenuity of its predecessors, defied science as we know it, and taken us on a whirlwind of a journey across the universe.

Review: The Ghost by the Billabong by Jackie French - A breathtaking novel which captures the Australian spirit

The Ghost by the Billabong by Jackie French
Series: Matilda Saga #5

Released: 1st December 2015

Published by: HarperCollins Australia

Genre: YA/Adult Historical Fiction

Source: Publisher

Pages: 544

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Hippies wear beads, demonstrators march against the Vietnam War, and the world waits to see the first human steps on the moon's surface.

But at Gibbers Creek, Jed Kelly sees ghosts, from the past and future, at the Drinkwater billabong where long ago the swaggie leaped to his defiant death. But is seventeen-year-old Jed a con artist or a survivor? When she turns up at Drinkwater Station claiming to be the great-granddaughter of Matilda Thompson's dying husband, Jed clearly has secrets. As does a veteran called Nicholas, who was badly wounded in the Vietnam War and now must try to create a life he truly wants to live, despite the ghosts that haunt him too.

Set during the turbulence of the late 1960s, this was a time when brilliant and little-known endeavours saw Australia play a vital role in Neil Armstrong's 'one giant leap for mankind' on that first unforgettable moon walk.

The fifth title in the highly acclaimed Matilda Saga, The Ghost by the Billabong is a story of deep conflicts and enduring passions - for other people, for the land, and for the future of humanity.

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Reading a Jackie French novel always provides so much more than a few hours of contentment between the pages of a book. This novel, like all the others which came before it in the Matilda saga, is really something else, something special. Set against the backdrop of the late 1960's, The Ghost by the Billabong not only provides a snapshot of the major events and ideas prevalent at that time in Australian history, but a sincere narrative that I was immediately drawn into.

Men might step onto the moon today, but mankind had watched the moon and stars from this spot for tens of thousands of years. She felt the wind of time sweep about her.

Not only was this book a phenomenal read; it made me even more interested in delving further into the history of our nation. At a time when excitement surrounding the anticipated moon landing was at an all-time high, French offers a perspective which we may not have properly known of before. Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station which features in the story did actually exist and played a role in that momentous event. In today's age when technological advances are fast exceeding even our wildest expectations, the author has truly conveyed the wonder felt by the people at that time witnessing such a feat. For Matilda's ailing husband Tommy it offered a vision at what is beyond our homeland, and for Jed the hope that we can always be something more; that even the most troubled past does not need to obscure the hope for a better future.

He'd fought to save everyone's sisters and nieces back in the war. She supposed he'd done this for them too. That was the trouble with love and protectiveness. It kept on spreading, till you loved the world, and wanted to keep it safe.

As always the character development in this novel is masterfully crafted. Jackie French has been able to weave the stories of all the characters from the previous novels, creating a plot which explores the nuances of their life experiences while retaining a central focus on a new protagonist. I love how even after I finished the other four books in the series, the stories of the characters I came to resonate with did not end there. That in itself is just one thing which makes these books so enthralling. The multiple perspectives alongside Jed's enrich the story further, as we come to understand their innermost thoughts, longings and dreams as to what might be. Jed was a complex character whose life experiences and hardships had shaped her into a savvy young woman who although fiercely independent, did desperately want to be part of a family. Making overtures towards the time period in To Love a Sunburnt Country, Nicholas had scars from the Vietnam war, both seen with the loss of his legs, and those unseen which go so much deeper.

She had known hat her grip on happiness was too fragile, after those war years, to leave here. She was Nancy of the Overflow. Overflow was part of her, just as she was part of it. Travel too far from these plains, these hills, the river, and she would wither like an autumn leaf and blow away.

What links Jed, Nicholas and Nancy whose life also features heavily in the novel, is their resilience. It is the striking combination of the tangible aspects of these characters' lives, especially their connection to the land, and the intangible emotions which shape them, that gives this series its spark. The portrayal of kindness, and kin being bound by more than blood, makes for a heartwarming story I will never forget. Yes, I did shed a few tears, but when you come across a tale that is as beautifully written and emotional as this, you really can't help it. Ultimately this is a story of finding forgiveness, and the humanity in all of us; where time and space may change, but the land is a constant which holds communities and brings them together.

He knew he didn't have to say it to Jed, for she understood. Knew that Nancy's, Michael's, Matilda's love of this piece of land linked them slowly, inexorably, across New South Wales, to Australia, then across the oceans, to the entire planet. They did not need to see Earth from space to know that this one planet held them all.

FINAL THOUGHTS

In all, The Ghost by the Billabong is a breathtaking story which artfully incorporates the real and incorporeal. It offers the reminder that as humans the bonds between us in the present, can be created stronger than we could have ever imagined.

Review: My Best Friend is a Goddess by Tara Eglington

My Best Friend is a Goddess by Tara Eglington

Released: 24th October 2016

Published by: HarperCollins Australia

Genre: YA Contemporary

Source: Author

Pages: 386

My Rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Two best friends crushing on one very cute guy ... someone's going to get their heart broken. Emily has been friends with Adriana since Year One, way back when Adriana had a huge gap between her teeth and was super skinny. Emily wasn't any less awkward looking, but the girls are the best of friends and that is the way it has always been. When Adriana's mother dies, very suddenly, everything changes. Adriana's father accepts a job in Borneo and the girls spend Year 10 apart. Despite the rubbish internet connection (on Adriana's side of things) the girls manage to stay in touch. And then Adriana returns home. And she has gone from awkward to AMAZING and turned into a goddess!

But the saving grace is that Adriana is no different on the inside. She's still the same best friend Emily knows and loves, and they're certainly not going to lose their friendship over the fact that Adriana has lucked out genetically. Emily just wishes that one guy, any guy, would want to get to know her for some other reason besides being Adriana's best friend. In the meantime, she's committed to helping Adriana manage the throngs of potential suitors that are texting, emailing and adding Emily on Facebook in the hope of an introduction to 'the goddess', as Adriana is still pretty shy around boys and no-one's made her want to step out of her shell.

MY BEST FRIEND IS A GODDESS is about what happens to a friendship when two girls change - and not just on the outside.

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

My Best Friend is a Goddess is a fun and fresh take on the highs and lows of being best friends, and how these relationships transform. I've been a big fan of Tara Eglington's novels since her 'Aurora Skye' duology How to Keep a Boy From Kissing You and How to Convince a Boy to Kiss You. There's an immediate sense of familiarity when beginning this latest release as it is also set in Jefferson. However, Emily and Adriana share their own unique hurdles; from coping with the enduring implications of grief, to dealing with a crush on the new guy. This novel is one which proves that a compelling contemporary read doesn't have to be the 'dark and serious' kind to be an excellent one. Instead, My Best Friend is a Goddess stands as an example of a story which does have the drama and humour, while remaining grounded by honestly exploring the real issues teenage girls face.

No, my fantasy is all about me talking to art-guy about everything I can't discuss with anyone my own age. The type of nerdy stuff that would make any sixteen-year-old guy at Jefferson back away from me, but which hot-guy-in-art class will go crazy for. He'll ask me questions about art. Look at me like...Henry Cavill/Four is looking at me right now, like he's dying to hear what I have to say.

There are some of the 'stereotypical' tropes which may cause some eye-rolls when they come up in a book, and the 'love triangle' is one of them. But dare I say it - in this case it actually is done well, and doesn't necessarily play out in the way you would expect. Perhaps there is a place for these plot devices after all, and Tara Eglington has shown that you can make it work without it being too cheesy or predictable. Theo is the type of guy that almost any girl would be interested in - he's got the looks, the gentlemanly demeanour and the intellect to be genuinely interested in things like art. Like the other teens in this book however, he too has his own issues to work through, and it's this depth in the characters overall which makes them so endearing.

I don't want it to get to me. Happiness shouldn't have anything to do with 'pretty' or 'not pretty'. And yet none of that logic stops me from falling into the oh-so-predictable trap of looking in the mirror and wishing I looked different. And with that, I let 'pretty' rule my world too. 

Emily and Adriana are best friends with a complex dynamic. Both of them have struggled with their own insecurities about their appearance, and with Adriana coming back from Borneo looking like a goddess it's no wonder that Emily is feeling like she's left in the background. What the story achieves is portraying those internal perceptions of inadequacy or simply not feeling attractive enough in a realistic light. Through the alternating perspectives and insights into 'secret thoughts of Adriana Anderson' and 'Emily's Diary' sections, we really get to know how these young women are developing together and as individuals. From falling into the world of the instagram-obsessed and pressures of 'accentuating your assets', to accepting your imperfections as something which don't have to be a hindrance, this book tackles many themes which will hit home for its target audience.

I might look like a swan and quack like a swan and have everyone around me fooled, but in the back of my mind I'm always waiting for the other birds to realise it's all an illusion and then attack me, stripping my feathers with their beaks. 

Finally, a unique aspect of this book which I really appreciated was the research that had gone into making references to artworks and mythology along the way. In the scenes of Emily's art class, it's these little quirks like explaining the history of Rodin's 'The Kiss' to 'Dante's Inferno' and the Renaissance which add a subtle touch of culture and extra point of interest for the reader. It's refreshing to have a contemporary novel which can strike the perfect balance between the character drama and extra information which you also may learn something from.

FINAL THOUGHTS

My Best Friend is a Goddess is my favourite book of Tara Eglington's so far. It's a well-written, relevant and bitter-sweet story on the evolution of a friendship and young women finding the confidence that was within them all along.