This debut novel follows the journey of an autistic teenage girl as she grapples with the overwhelming grief of losing her mother and her coming of age.
It is set in Darwin, where 15-year-old Emma and her father, James, have been struggling to rebuild their lives after the death of Emma’s mother three years ago. James is haunted by recurring nightmares, but he hides his pain behind his demanding job and caring for Emma. Life becomes more unsettled when Emma wins the coveted spot in a sports institute program instead of her best friend, Summer. The strain between the two becomes even more apparent when Summer’s family relocates to another suburb, shattering the comfort and predictability of always having her just a few doors away.
Emma, having only recently been diagnosed with autism, struggles to deal with change and social interactions. Since her mother died, her routines have been shattered. She tries to establish new routines while dealing with the changes happening.
This moving story tackles sensitive topics with a considered approach. It skilfully explores and interweaves the complexities of loss, grief, adolescence, and autism. The treatment of autistic behaviours and reactions has been done insightfully and authentically. Her use of staccato sentences immerses you in the character’s perspective and heightens the urgency of key scenes. This is a valuable read for those with autism, those who know someone with it, or anyone seeking to understand it better.
Reviewed by Chandra Hazebroek
Age Guide 14+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Raelke Grimmer is a writer, analogue photographer and linguist living on Larrakia Country in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. She writes creative nonfiction, young adult fiction and poetry. Her debut young adult novel White Noise was published by UWA Publishing in September 2024. Raelke’s creative nonfiction has been published in Australian literary journals Griffith Review, Westerly, Kill Your Darlings and Meniscus, and her poem ‘Burning Two AM Conversations’ was shortlisted in the Poetry Award in the 2023 Northern Territory Literary Awards.
Raelke was a 2023 participant in the Australia Council and Creative New Zealand’s Digital Fellowship Program, where she worked on a project titled ‘Analostalgia’, using analogue technologies in digital spaces as a way of time travelling through space and place. She recorded an album of analogue sounds that will be released on Spotify and vinyl in 2024.
Raelke is a founding editor of Northern Territory literary journal Borderlands, a journal publishing the very best of Northern Territory and First Nations storytelling in all storytelling formats. She completed a PhD in Creative Writing at Flinders University in 2021 and lectures in Creative Writing and Applied Linguistics at Charles Darwin University.
Raelke’s photography practice centres on black and white analogue photography and explores the interplay between digital storytelling and film photography.
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