Month: February 2019

What is is this novel about?

About a Boy  by Nick Hornby is a book about unusual perceptions and unusual relationships. Marcus is a twelve year old boy whose parents have recently separated. He and his mother, Fiona, have moved to London where Marcus struggles with all the changes that come with moving house, different living arrangements, a disturbed and depressed mother and a new school environment. He tries hard to be social and interact with new people, but seems to have an awkwardness that holds him back- often making him quite misunderstood

Will is a 30-something year old single man who is looking to find friendships joins a single parents group even though he has no children. He invents a 2 year old son called Ned! At this group for single parents, he gets to meet a number of other single parents. One of them, Suzie, introduces him to Marcus and Fiona.

Marcus and Will strike up an unlikely friendship. Will teaches Marcus how to be a trendy pre-teen. And Marcus seems to really enjoy the time he spends with Will.

As the story continues, more characters emerge. Ellie from Marcus’ new school is a feisty 15 year-old who is the school rebel. Marcus’ dad Clive and his girlfriend Lindsey visit Marcus’ home at Christmas with Lindsey’s mother in tow.  Will falls in love with a single mother Rachel. Rachel has a son, Ali, who is the same age as Marcus.

Most of these relationships start off shakily but then seem to blossom and grow. Marcus begins to realise that he is strengthened by his relationships with each of these characters, just as the person at the top of a pyramid is supported by those beneath them. Each person in the book grows through the relationships they form with others. 

What did you think about this novel?

What I enjoyed most about this book was noticing how characters grew from interactions with each other however inappropriate, awkward, quirky and weird the personalities first were.

I learnt some valuable lessons from reading it. There’s no such thing as ‘normal’. Friendships that seem unlikely at first, grow to become strong and lasting relationships. We grow from our interactions with all people- however different they may be, and they can become a caring and protective support network.

Mrs Victoria

Extra comments:

My favourite lines from the book are about this network that supports and strengthens a person.

Marcus talking to his dad about building other relationships.

‘…I can’t explain it, but I feel safer than before, because I know more people. I was really scared  because I didn’t think two was enough, and now there aren’t two any more. There are loads. And you’re better off that way.’

‘…I didn’t see that before that anyone else could do that job, and they can. You can find people. It’s like those acrobatic displays.’

‘What acrobatic displays?’

‘Those ones when you stand on top of loads of people in a pyramid. It doesn’t really matter who they are, does it, as long as they’re there and you don’t let them go away without finding someone else.’

‘You really think that? It doesn’t matter who’s underneath you?’

‘I do now, yeah. I didn’t, but now I do. Because you can’t stand on top of your mum and dad if they’re going to mess around and wander off and get depressed.’

What is this novel about? 

This novel has a most unusual plot line that centres around the mysterious case of Davis’s billionaire father’s disappearance, leaving Davis and his younger brother, Noah, unofficially orphaned (it is believed his father is still alive but he can’t be found). The real story centres around Aza, who reconnects with her old school friend, Davis, due to his father’s disappearance. Aza is battling mental health issues (anxiety and OCD) and is just trying to get through daily life, school etc when her bubbly, chatty friend, Daisy, becomes the catalyst for their investigation into Davis’s father’s disappearance (Daisy is hoping to provide information to claim a financial reward). That’s a snapshot of the storyline but there’s so much more to the story … as you would expect from a John Green novel.

What did you think about this novel?

Turtles All The Way Down is a sensitively written novel about a teen dealing with mental health issues. It is couched in an intriguing storyline that slowly builds up to convey the depth of Aza’s issues. John Green is adept at writing clever, witty teen conversations (which sometimes, I think, might seem a little contrived) but his style certainly provides for an enjoyable and entertaining read, while exploring compassionately and honestly, what would otherwise be challenging subject matter. Green explores other themes too such as privilege, wealth and loneliness. While he does this well and rather intriguingly with his chosen plot, I think these particular themes are explored more deeply in Alice Pung’s YA novel, Laurinda, where she explores themes of privilege, gender and racism. Both novels are excellent and I highly recommend both to students (ideal for Year 9 and above).

Mrs Sylaprany