Paul Jennings is probably best known for his humorous, quirky short stories and the television series ‘Round the Twist’. His latest novel is much more sombre, dealing as it does with the death of a parent and coping with the fear of what will happen in the future.
Emily and Alex are 15-year-old twins who live with their widowed father on a property near Warrnambool. Their dad bought the property when it was in dire need of resuscitation and he has spent many years replanting and nurturing the forest trees which used to thrive there. His efforts have been rewarded and the forest’s new growth has attracted much native wildlife, including rainbow lorikeets in abundance, which flock to the one remaining old, huge manna gum.
However, now Dad has been diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour and has only months to live. Each twin copes with this devastating news in their own way. Alex escapes to the treehouse in the manna gum and sets about renovating and adding to it in the hope he will delay his father’s death. He wants to keep a kitten from a litter born to a feral mother under their house but Emily is dead set against the idea because of the risk the cat will pose to the native birdlife. She can’t believe it when her father asks her to allow him to keep the kitten – and feels their environmental principles have been betrayed. She copes by writing down her memoir and submitting it in parts, delineated by the seasons, to her English teacher. And this is the text we are reading.
While this synopsis may sound morbid and depressing, The Lorikeet Tree is surprisingly engaging and easy to read. Major topics are tackled matter-of-factly and the twins’ support network of doctor, teachers and wildlife ranger are realistically portrayed. Emily grows and matures into a more compassionate person while Alex finally accepts the inevitable.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
Age Guide 11+
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