One Punch is a story about two mothers both fighting for their sons.
Daniel is the victim of a king punch which ends with an altered future for the family’s golden boy. His mother, Yazmin, has three sons. She lives in a big house, has a successful husband and an enviable life. But she faces a truth that breaks her down and has to try to rebuild her perfect life.
Brody is a shy, reclusive boy who is a loner at school. His mum, Evie, is a barely coping single mother and nurse. Evie begins to unravel and becomes a ghost of herself.
Two families dealing with the fallout of one night. The pain, protection and revenge that follows.
I enjoyed this character driven book. It felt like I was hearing the story from friends over coffee or at book club. The story could be any suburban mother and family which makes it highly identifiable and equally terrifying.
One Punch reminded me a little of Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies and Celeste Ng’s Little Fires Everywhere. These books are both blockbuster novels, but One Punch sits in a different lane. It delves much deeper into the characters and poses so many ‘What would you do?’ scenarios, which I found thought-provoking. It was also interesting to watch character viewpoints change from black into grey.
Reviewed by Nicola Skinstad
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Julie Fison is an Australian writer. Her debut novel for adults – One Punch – is a contemporary domestic drama that follows two mothers at the centre of a tragedy, as they wrestle with the consequences of one catastrophic night. If you like Jodi Picoult, Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng – you’ll love One Punch. Julie has also written eleven books for children and young adults, a play, short stories and travel articles. She lives in Brisbane and spends as much as time as possible travelling, writing and gathering snippets for her next story
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