twins

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Review: The Unwilling Twin – Freya Blackwood

The Unwilling Twin

Freya Blackwood

Harper Collins

ISBN: 9781460757536

RRP $24.99

 

Description:

THE NEW PICTURE BOOK FROM SEVEN-TIME CBCA BOOK OF THE YEAR WINNER FREYA BLACKWOOD

Jules and George are the same in every way.

 

It is quite impossible to tell them apart.

 

Like all twins, Jules and George do everything together. But after a long, hot day at the beach, even twins sometimes disagree …

 

From multi-award-winning picture book creator Freya Blackwood comes a cheeky and charming story about the ups and downs of sibling love.

 

 

My View:

This is a fun, silly and entertaining read that all pre -schoolers are bound to love. I like the sense of humour here, the simple yet elegant illustrations that capture the emotions and the day; the feel of the breeze on the twins faces, the chaos of the beach…simple yet very effective verbal and visual storytelling, this is a great read. There is plenty of good material here for “re telling” (one of the early stages of learning to read is where you first read the book to the child then the child looks for visual clues, uses memory, comprehension skills and their imagination, when they “re tell” the story back to you). This is a great read that has many opportunities for your pre  -schooler develop their language and comprehension skills when they talk to you about the story.

 

A fun and educational read.

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Post Script: Beside Myself – Ann Morgan

Beside Myself

Beside Myself

Ann Morgan

Bloomsbury Publishing Australia

Bloomsbury

ISBN: 9781408870303

 

Description:

Beside Myself is a literary thriller about identical twins, Ellie and Helen, who swap places aged six. At first it is just a game, but then Ellie refuses to swap back. Forced into her new identity, Helen develops a host of behavioural problems, delinquency and chronic instability. With their lives diverging sharply, one twin headed for stardom and the other locked in a spiral of addiction and mental illness, how will the deception ever be uncovered? Exploring questions of identity, selfhood, and how other people’s expectations affect human behaviour, this novel is as gripping as it is psychologically complex.

 

 

My View:

Powerful! Intense! Confronting! This book has it all.

 

This book was a very difficult read- I read the first fifty pages or so and was in a dilemma – to continue or not? I found these first pages strangely horrific – the voice of the little girl, Helen, who constantly seeks to “teach her a lesson” (her being her twin sister Ellie), Helen’s voice is so nasty and malevolent I considered not reading any further. (And then there was the underlying hint of potential sexual abuse from a friend’s older brother, another sinister voice/character). I really was in two minds as to carry on or not.

 

Curiosity and a few days break from the book and I started reading again with an intensity that had me picking up this book every opportunity I could make. What a powerhouse of emotions and psychological twists this was! A brilliant study of identity, influences, how expectations effect children’s (and adults I presume too) personality, mental health, achievements and general wellbeing.

 

Mental health issues, suicide, self-harm, suicide are themes that are laid bare for all to consider. And the big one – the damage that is done when we do not believe a child – when they share they are being bullied or abused – in all forms of abuse. The most damage we can do is not believe or take seriously.

 

WOW! Just WOW! I am exhausted! This book is complex and intense and illuminating and surprisingly optimistic. I am so pleased I decided to continue on reading this book. Everyone should read this book – the world might be a better place if it pricks our conscience and makes us look at the person next to us with a little more compassion.

 

A fantastic debut novel!

 

 

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Script: Missing You – Kylie Kaden

Missing You

Missing You

Kylie Kaden

Random House Australia Pty Ltd  

Bantam Australia

ISBN: 9780857987167

 

Description:

Missing You is a tantalising love story and a seductive suspense novel: ‘Our lives were built around the strength of a kiss between strangers. Yet seven years on, look where it led us . . .’When Aisha met Ryan she fell hard for his good looks and easy charm. Why worry that he didn’t want children or a 9 to 5 job? Nothing and no one would come between them. But with the birth of their high-needs son, Eli, their extraordinary love is shackled into an ordinary life, their passion blunted by responsibility. Until Ryan can’t take it anymore. Then, following a mysterious phone call late one night, Aisha leaves four-year-old Eli in the care of her elderly father Patrick – and doesn’t come back. As Patrick struggles with the grandson he barely knows or understands, his frustration with his missing daughter and absent son-in-law quickly turns to fear. Particularly when blood is found in Aisha’s abandoned car . . .

 

 

My View:

I determine a great read by two characteristics – either the book captivates me and I read in one sitting or it evokes such apprehension, a tingling of the spine, that I want to put off the ugliness I know is coming. This is a book that captivates, that you will pick up, start reading and the next thing you know the house is quiet and you are the only one still up and you are still reading!

 

A narrative told through the eyes of three of the protagonists – Aisha, Patrick and Ryan. I particular loved the honesty of Patrick’s outlook and how his character mellowed and grew as the book progressed and his life experience grew. I also liked the author’s honest approach to parenting in this novel – a warts and all portrayal of pregnancy and life with children. I think parents/potential parents need to read more honest accounts of family life so they can feel more comfortable in their own parenting. Life is not always like the cover of the glossy mags- clean, beautiful, perfect…All children like routine but sometimes that need can’t be catered to, all children have occasional tantrums, bad moods and parents are often tired and juggling lots expectations and responsibilities in their life. Life can be difficult at times and we need to see that that is ok. Rant over.

 

So back to the novel – this is an interesting ‘hybrid’ novel –a mix of cosy romance and thriller with the balance on the thriller aspect. The book immediately hooks you in as you read Aisha’s thoughts, wondering if she is about to die….”I calmly wonder if this is how it feels to die: this strange lightness, drifting in zero gravity. I feel no pain, but I have no control…” The author ensures that you are in no doubt that something sinister has occurred. You are hooked! Pick up this great read – I don’t think you will be disappointed despite the ending was a little to kind to the villain in the piece. 🙂

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Post Script: The Ice Twins – S.K. Tremayne

 

The Ice Twins

The Ice Twins

S.K. Tremayne

HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction/Blue Door

ISBN: 9780007459247

 

Description:

One of Sarah’s daughters died. But can she be sure which one? A terrifying psychological thriller that will chill you to the bone.

 

A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcraft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives.

 

But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity – that she, in fact, is Lydia – their world comes crashing down once again.

 

As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirstie (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, Sarah finds herself tortured by the past – what really happened on that fateful day one of her daughters died?

 

My View:

This is quite a difficult book to review- I didn’t love it but I did enjoy it. I wasn’t “chilled to the bone,” more intrigued and wanting to understand/know the truth. It was very evocative, somewhat creepy and bleak. So whilst I didn’t embrace this book with a passion I did keep having a film play out in my head of the action as I read. I really can see this as a brilliantly disturbing film. The isolation of the island, the bleak settings, the storm, the hint of apparitions, the feeling of being threatened… it could make a great noir film with its suggestion of violence or potential for violence. Film it in black and white with just a hint of colour in the clothing of the twins….perfect!