Book review
Posted 8th June 2009 at 03:09 AM by Katrina156
Pool
By Justin D’Ath
Ford Street Publishing, 2007
Review by George Ivanoff (George Ivanoff)
Sixteen-year-old Wolfgang Mulqueen has a summer-holidays job at his local public swimming pool. The pool is famous because the water is not level and it supposedly has curative powers. A regular at the pool is a blind girl named Audrey, who claims to be nocturnal and chases angels. Add to this, a mysterious black butterfly that is possibly a new species.
What is the relationship between all these elements? How are they connected and why? This is what this book is about.
What results is a fascinating, gentle, character-driven story that enthrals from beginning to end. D’Ath expertly takes you down a mysterious, winding path. You can never see where that path is leading, yet each time you turn a corner you find yourself saying “Well, yes, of course”. Until at last you reach the unexpected, yet inevitable, conclusion.
I found myself really feeling for the characters. I wanted Audrey to find happiness. I wanted Wolfgang to prove the existence of the new species of butterfly. I wanted them to fall in love. I found myself cringing at Wolfgang’s lies, yet understanding why he told them. I found myself hoping that he wouldn’t accept the morally dubious offer made by Audrey’s father. I found myself hoping lots of things. Did the characters do everything I wanted them to? No! Did their decisions sometimes disappoint me? Yes. All of which made them more real… all of which made me care more for them.
This book is hard to define or categorise. All I’ll say is that it’s a young adult novel that is both thoughtful and thought provoking. I’m not sure what I was expecting from it – certainly not what I got. Which is a good thing. I like it when a book takes me to unexpected ground, surprises me, then leaves me wanting more.
Reviewer Bio
George Ivanoff is a Melbourne based author who has written over 20 books for children and teenagers. Two of his books (Life, Death and Detention and Real Sci-Fi) are on the booklist for the 2007 Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge – this is their third year on the list. George used to regularly review books, CDs and DVDs for the now defunct Frontier Magazine. Check out George’s website at: George Ivanoff
By Justin D’Ath
Ford Street Publishing, 2007
Review by George Ivanoff (George Ivanoff)
Sixteen-year-old Wolfgang Mulqueen has a summer-holidays job at his local public swimming pool. The pool is famous because the water is not level and it supposedly has curative powers. A regular at the pool is a blind girl named Audrey, who claims to be nocturnal and chases angels. Add to this, a mysterious black butterfly that is possibly a new species.
What is the relationship between all these elements? How are they connected and why? This is what this book is about.
What results is a fascinating, gentle, character-driven story that enthrals from beginning to end. D’Ath expertly takes you down a mysterious, winding path. You can never see where that path is leading, yet each time you turn a corner you find yourself saying “Well, yes, of course”. Until at last you reach the unexpected, yet inevitable, conclusion.
I found myself really feeling for the characters. I wanted Audrey to find happiness. I wanted Wolfgang to prove the existence of the new species of butterfly. I wanted them to fall in love. I found myself cringing at Wolfgang’s lies, yet understanding why he told them. I found myself hoping that he wouldn’t accept the morally dubious offer made by Audrey’s father. I found myself hoping lots of things. Did the characters do everything I wanted them to? No! Did their decisions sometimes disappoint me? Yes. All of which made them more real… all of which made me care more for them.
This book is hard to define or categorise. All I’ll say is that it’s a young adult novel that is both thoughtful and thought provoking. I’m not sure what I was expecting from it – certainly not what I got. Which is a good thing. I like it when a book takes me to unexpected ground, surprises me, then leaves me wanting more.
Reviewer Bio
George Ivanoff is a Melbourne based author who has written over 20 books for children and teenagers. Two of his books (Life, Death and Detention and Real Sci-Fi) are on the booklist for the 2007 Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge – this is their third year on the list. George used to regularly review books, CDs and DVDs for the now defunct Frontier Magazine. Check out George’s website at: George Ivanoff
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