Review: A River I Must Be by Kate Foster

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 character who shows what masking looks like externally. 

A beautifully written novel about the internal struggles that many experience within spaces that do not understand them.

Highly recommended. 

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