Kathryn's Inbox

Rebecca Tapia is going through a lot. She has just started high school, and has won a sports scholarship to a prestigious private school. This coincides with her mum taking an extended work trip to a remote overseas location. She also has autism, something which the teachers at her new school either struggle to understand, or in the case of one particular teacher, flat out do not want to.  Told totally in verse, this is beautifully written novel about one young woman's struggle to adapt to a world that fails to understand her. The insight into autism is solid, as is the conclusion. We see Rebecca's fascination with rivers and it is interesting how that relates to the title. Where the novel really shines, however, is through the unique way she finds her voice and how she is assisted by other students who demonstrate more empathy and understanding than many of her teachers. While through Rebecca we see the internal struggles of masking, it is also interesting to note another char...

Adelaide writer Olivia de Zilva's eccletic collection of poems offer an insight into everything from what being unemployed really does to ones self esteem to bus journeys on the G10, quite possibly Adelaide's most famous suburban bus route.  This was an enjoyable and somewhat eccentric read. I found it best to read just a few entries at a time, over the course of several days. Thing I enjoyed most was how local it all felt and some of the insights into unemployment and mental illness. Recommended.

It has been said to never judge a book by its cover. In this instance, however, it feels appropriate to mention that the cover for The Shadow Of the Object, the Booker Prize longlisted novel by Chloe Aridjus fits the story perfectly.  The short and beautifully written novel opens with Flora in hospital. She has been bitten by the family dog, whilst on a trip home to visit her mother and stepfather in Mexico. Recovering in hospital she strikes up a friendship with Wilhelmina, an elderly German woman who became ill with pneumonia during a trip to Mexico. There is something magical about their conversations. So too is the show Wilhelmina puts on for Flora and the other patients with her magic lantern. And all too soon, everything changes.   I enjoyed the first half of the novel, set in the hospital in Mexico. The second half, set in London after Flora's recovery and Wilhelmina's passing never quite really lives up to the first half. The narrative was at its best when it sha...

Adelaide author/illustrator Geogina Chadderton's graphic memoir tells two stories. The first is of their experiences of life with a younger brother, Rob, who has autism and an intellectual disability. The second is of their experiences of moving to a new house and starting high school, and the anxieties that go with that, particularly where friendships are concerned. And, unsurprisingly, both things intersect. This was a compelling read. Like many graphic memoirs, this one is just as interesting for readers who are adults as it will no doubt be for children. It offers a genuine insight into the difficulties faced by kids like Georgina--of having a younger brother that she loves dearly, but whose behaviour can be a lot for a kid to deal with. One scene in particular stands out when she reacts after seeing Rob behaving violently toward their mum. Meanwhile, starting high school brings anxieties of its own that many readers will be able to relate to. Georgina has an excellent friend i...

How do I even begin to review a book so delightfully clever and quirky as Black Bag by Luke Kennard? The novel opens with an out-of-work actor whose prospects seem to be going from bad to worse until he receives a surprising offer--to become Black Bag. Effectively, this involves him showing up at an university twice a week, wearing only a black bag that obscures every part of him but his feet. He is required to sit silently in one lecture and one tutorial per week, as part of an experiment to see how students will react to his presence. It is easy work. The best part? He is getting paid well and in cash. Things soon go awry. The actor becomes very attached to Black Bag, and starts wearing it outside of his work. Meanwhile, his best mate finds a way to monetise Black Bag, while a female professor at the university wants to use him as a sexual experiment. Then, well, there are lots of quirky things as everything gets worse and the novel begins to raise more questions about masculinity....

Those wacky Wakefield twins are back in another fun graphic novel adventure. This time around, their spoiled and wealthy classmate Lila Fowler has just been gifted an absolutely beautiful horse named Thunder. Except that Lila isn't actually terribly interested in horses or their upkeep. Enter Elizabeth who adores Thunder from the moment she sees him. And she would do anything just to spend time with him. Including pretending to be friends with snooty Lila and doing far more than her fair share of work down at the stables. Meanwhile, Jessica knows that Elizabeth is obsessed. But she cannot help but feel jealous at all of the time that Lila and Elizabeth are spending together. Lila is supposed to be Jessica's friend ... isn't she? I enjoy reading the books in this series just to see how they translate to graphic novel format. In particular I was interested in the subplot between Steven Wakefield and Ted. However, just as I never really liked the original version of this one, ...