Book Review: Jasper Jones

Mood: meh
Listening to: 'One Less Lonely Girl' by Justin Bieber (still waitin' for my valentine's day fantasy to become a reality)
Hungry for: dunno

A book review!

I won't give you any more spoilers than the stuff revealed in the blurb, promise.

I got this book from the Perth International Writer's Festival - Jasper Jones, by Fremantle-based WA writer Craig Silvey (writer of Rhubarb, which is apparently good but I haven't read.) And I must admit, it's good. It's a nice break from the stiff classics I've been poring over - very good, modern read.

The cover is orange, with an apple motif, with A Novel: Jasper Jones scrawled over it, with the author's name. But don't be fooled by the bright cover - the pages narrate an eerily dark and sinister story discussing deep and shady topics like sexuality, racism, sexism, murder, discrimination and torture.

The story is set in the fictional country town of Corrigan, which is somewhere in Western Australia. Just a bit of background info: Australian country towns have a bit of a reputation of being old fashioned and prejudiced. Not all of them, obviously, but some of them. The narrator of the story is Charlie Bucktin, who dreams of being as bold as the dashingly rebellious outcast Jasper Jones, who is half-Aboriginal, so he can somehow pluck up the nerve to strike up a conversation worth remembering with Eliza Wishart. One night, Jasper Jones taps on Charlie's window and leads him to a horrific crime scene that chills Charlie to the core. How can Charlie help Jasper when the whole town is against him? How can Charlie keep this horrible scene a secret?

So, as I said, eerily dark. It's not a book for kids, obviously - both the themes and language are very strong - and it's a very moving book with a very unpredictable end. The chilling crime story is balanced off by some very funny conversations between Charlie and his Asian buddy, Jeffrey, who, despite his bullying, has a very bright take on life.

I recommend this book to adults, older teens, and younger teens who can stomach crude language, dark crime, strong themes and stuff like that. You'll be hooked from the first word, I guarantee. The pace is swift but not rushed, complex but not overly confusing. Perfection.