Review: Take My Word For It By John Marsden

Superficial note: I can't imagine this cover ever looked attractive, even in the 90s.

I was so excited to discover the existence of this book after reading So Much To Tell You. I was pretty blown away by that one, so I was thrilled to know there was a companion novel which, according to Wikipedia, would fill in the gaps and detail the aftermath of the first book.

Told from Lisa’s point of view, we get a little insight into how she and the other girls view Marina, the troubled protagonist of So Much To Tell You, but overall the focus is on Lisa’s own life. Which makes sense, seeing as how this is her “journal” and all. Considering the journals were a class project it was understandable that it would be used as a narrative device once again here. But while it worked incredibly effectively for Marina, I found Lisa’s journal quite ordinary. Perhaps it’s unfair to compare them, but being companion novels, it’s kind of impossible not to. The characters and events are largely the same, it’s only the perspective that changes.

I just didn’t connect with Lisa emotionally and wasn’t as invested in her story. The central “mystery” wasn’t as compelling as it was in the first novel, and it was all a bit predictable. Plus I didn’t get anywhere near as much insight into the events left out of Marina’s journal as I was hoping to. And while I’ve noted that So Much To Tell You is the type of YA novel that would appeal to readers of any age, I really don’t think Take My Word For It has the kind of cross-over factor that would make it of interest to anyone who isn’t a teen – and probably a young one at that. There is some beautiful writing, but overall it’s quite a bland book.

Rating: 3/5

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Published: 1992, Macmillan
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Review: So Much To Tell You By John Marsden

So Much To Tell You by John Marsden is an Australian classic and I can’t believe I’ve not read it before now. It’s one of those books that I always thought I had read, but when I sat down with it last week, it wasn’t familiar at all. Which made me feel like a very Bad Australian.

Anyway, I’ve read it now and I can see why it’s such a classic. It’s raw and emotional and so authentic, which is particularly impressive when you consider this female-dominated story, told in diary style from the perspective of a Year Nine girl, was actually written by a 30-odd year old man. It’s amazing how right the voice is.

Despite being written more than two decades ago, the story is still very much relevant to today. Change out the references to tape decks and snail mail for iTunes and Facebook and you would think it was written today. I believe it’s because emotions and relationships and the messiness of life never really change, no matter what trappings society is obsessed with at the time. And it’s these things that Marsden captures so brilliantly in So Much To Tell You.

The protagonist is a young girl starting a new boarding school and being forced to keep a diary for English class. Her family has sent her there in an attempt to get her to talk again, as she hasn’t spoken since a traumatic event that left her scarred on the inside as well as the outside. While she initially remains closed off and refuses to talk to anyone, she slowly begins to open up in her journal. You learn, bit by bit, exactly what has happened to her through her diary entries. You also see her slowly becoming more confident, as others show her kindness and she begins to connect, however silently, with the people in her life.

But nothing is straightforward or perfect in this book, because life isn’t that way. The protagonist takes one step forward and two steps back. She’s conflicted about not only the new people she meets, but the old ones from her “former” life. Her family in particular arouses contradictory emotions, and her struggle is laid bare in her diary. Her relationship with her father is particularly harrowing.

But it is perhaps her relationship with herself which is most poignant of all. Her scarred face represents her confused sense of identity; something that is further reinforced by the fact that her name is never revealed until the very end. When you do see it, it’s a powerful moment, and you realise how far she has come to get where she is. Then the last line of the book completely hits it home – but I won’t spoil it for you. You'll have to read this masterful little book for yourself.

Rating: 4/5

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Published: 2012, Hachette (25th anniversary edition). Originally published 1987.
Get It: The Nile

Top Five: Books That Make Me Cry

Reading makes me happy, but that doesn't mean all books do - and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes, it feels good to just have a cry. Aside from that, it's wonderful to be so involved in a story that it really makes you feel - even if those feelings aren't always warm and fuzzy. A good story, well-told, has the power to make you experience all kinds of emotions, and if something moves me to tears, it means I've had a great read, if not a great time. Here are the top five books that have left me a blubbering heap of despair (in a good way, of course)...

1. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Oh my goodness, this book floored me. I was a wreck not just at the end, but all the way through it. Telling the story of three friends whose fate was already decided even before they were born, it's a devastating tale of love and loss. It's beautifully written, but an extremely intense - and at times excruciating - read. The worst (and best) part is that you kind of know what's going to happen, and getting there is wonderful and awful all at once. It's one of the best books I've read (and one of the best movies I've seen) this year.

2. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. Henry has a disorder that causes him to time travel uncontrollably, complicating all aspects of his life - especially his relationship with his wife, Clare, who first met him as a little girl on one of his trips through time. What I found most interesting was the idea that Henry and Clare had no choice but to love each other - when they each met the other for the first time (Clare as a child meeting adult Henry in the "past", young adult Henry meeting young adult Clare in the "present") the other is already in love with them (adult Henry with his wife Clare, young adult Clare with the Henry who has visited her all her life). It's this lack of control that is the most frightening aspect of the story, especially as - like with Never Let Me Go - you get closer and closer to what you suspect is going to happen. I devoured this book in two days, and when I finished it I literally sobbed for about half an hour.

3. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. You go into a story set in Nazi Germany (narrated by Death himself, no less) knowing it's not exactly going to be all sunshine, rainbows and lollipops. But The Book Thief surprised me by how whimsical, beautiful and even delightful it was. Which, of course, just made the inevitable sad parts all the more heart-wrenching. I read it over a year ago now and I still get that punched-in-the-gut feeling when I think about certain parts. But it's the wonderful characters that stay with you more than anything; from the book-loving thief of the title, Liesl, to her cheeky, caring friend Rudy, to her abrasive-but-loving foster mother Rosa and her quietly heroic "papa", Hans. This is one of those books that I nag everyone to read - so if you haven't, go do it. Now.

4. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It's a cold, cold person who can make it through Little Women - the classic tale of three remarkable and one extremely annoying four remarkable sisters - without crying. I always know what's going to happen, but it gets me Every. Single. Time. As soon as Beth goes to the Hummels, that's it, I can barely continue reading through my tears. Why couldn't Amy have gone instead?! I mean, er...

5. Checkers by John Marsden. I read this when I was about 11 or 12, and it's the first book that I remember really crying over - like, really crying. Told in flashbacks by a teen girl in a psychiatric hospital, the events that led her there - involving her beloved dog Checkers, her dad and the state government - are slowly revealed, with heartbreaking results. I revisited it again years later, racing through it in a matter of hours - and was still utterly gutted by the end of it. While I haven't read it in awhile, I'm still haunted by its contents whenever I catch a glimpse of the cover on my bookshelf.

What books have really made you cry?

Image via I Can Has Cheezburger