Thirteen-year-old Star is a loner, more interested in studying birds and learning obscure words than skating and smoking with her peers. After being removed from an abusive household by the authorities, she lives a simple life with her eccentric grandfather Roy in coastal Rocky Point.
Things change when Bronte, a beautiful and rebellious new kid with black-painted nails, arrives in town from Sydney and the two outsiders become fast friends. Even Tremayne, Star’s former bully, begins to seem more misunderstood than malicious. But when Roy goes off his medication and starts acting erratically, Star’s newfound happiness is threatened.
Influenced by debut novelist Annie Drum’s background in social work, this is a convincing and engaging snapshot of life on the fringes of society.
Not everything here works; the odd pacing culminates in a rushed ending. Yet the characters are drawn with such tenderness and warmth that you’ll get wrapped up in their little world.
Reviewed by Daniel Herborn
Age Guide 13+
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Annie Drum lives in central Victoria and her short fiction and poetry appear in anthologies and on the Memoria podcast. She is a member of Writers Victoria and her debut collection, Like Trees (Pomonal Publishing, 2016), was launched at Clunes Booktown. She has undertaken a writing retreat in The Netherlands, and a mentorship with renowned author Toni Jordan. Her years as a social worker with families and young people inform her storytelling.
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