In any other hands this would be about self-absorbed dysfunctional losers doing trivially ugly things. ?áThe prose would be purple, flowery. ?áThe pacing would be unbearably slow. ?áBut Hartnett is a master, and this is brilliant. ?áYes, it's quiet, and nothing melodramatically awful happens. ?áAnd it's slow reading - if I'd immersed myself in it and read at my usual pace I'd have missed a lot. ?áAnd I agree with Hornby's comment on the back, that many of the sentences demand to be reread. ?áIt's almost too sophisticated to be YA. ?áWith minor tweaks, this?ácould be marketed to adults and?áwould be the kind of book that the Man Booker ppl would have looked seriously at. ?á

It's also a bit challenging to Americans because it's set Down Under. ?áFebruary is the end of summer, references are made to all sorts of foods that I've never heard of, some social customs and perspectives are implied but not stated and so maybe I missed some enriching details.... ?áBut context clues are sufficient for an adequate understanding.

I just wish I'd gotten to know other characters better. ?áPlum is too young, & too self-centered, to see even her Mums or her friends as real people. ?áThis despite the fact that she, as is common among young teens, demands that her family acknowledges her as a real person, with feelings, and deserving of respect. ?áIt's difficult for me to like, or even root for, any character in the book... I think I'd like it more if I could be less judgmental and more empathetic.?á

There's a lot for a book club to discuss here. ?áAnd it is actually a fairly short book - even if one does read fast one can get enough of an idea of what's going on to participate in a discussion. ?áI highly recommend it for buddy reads, online BotM groups, and offline/irl groups. ?áI'd like it more, I think, if I shared it with someone.?á

I'm not sure I recommend it for others... unless, like me, they've already read and been wowed by Sadie and Ratz, Hartnett's similarly brilliant book for younger children.?á

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I do love Sonya Hartnett's writing, and this claustrophobic peek into the life of an almost 14-year-old girl and her slightly odd (but very familiar to me) suburban Australian family captivated me.

Only small down, the ending was a bit.. blah. Not sure if it's supposed to be surprising or not. It wasn't to me. I've noticed "how the heck do I finish this off?" problems with Hartnett before, indeed many writers hit a bit of a brick wall imagination-wise when it comes to endings. Oh well. ( )

Sonya Hartnett is a master at reminding you of what it is like to be a child. This story is about a 13 year old girl and the centre of her universe is of course her friends and her position in the group. I cringed so many times while reading this the memories of my own 13 year old self were closer to the surface than I realised. Strongly recommended. ( )

Year 10 and older would be best - young girl finding her identity, befriends woman next door who is having an affair with her brother.

Australian author Sonya Hartnett is one of the best writers there is now writing young adult fiction. This beautifully written, sad novel tells the coming-of-age story of Plum Coyle, a girl suffering all the excrutiating pains of adolescence as her 14th birthday appraches. Hartnett's prose is exquisite and her ability to get inside of her character and capture her emotions so perfectly is extraordinary. ( )