Fiction: July 2008 Archives

The frail, fickle nature of fame has been a recurring theme in Pete Johnson's fiction, in 'I'd Rather Be Famous', astute comment was made as to the types of decision that are driven only by outward appearance, by what others think rather than what we ourselves actually feel. In 'The Hero Game', Charlie's idolisation of his grandfather and his sheer determination to immortalise him are challenged by revelations as to his grandfather's past, that he finds difficult to equate with his present perception of his uncle.

'How to get Famous' sees friends Tobey and Georgia desperately seeking the lime-light but learning the bitter consequences that follow failure and rejection. This is exacerbated further still by the crushing humiliation Tobey faces at an audition in which Georgia is successful. Pressures of personal hopes that are defeated alongside the achievement of friends' achievement places friendship into a fragile context.

In a surprise turn, however, Johnson achieves a twist that demonstrates incisively the spontaneous manner via which we affect and influence others through our actions as compared with the forced nature of acting and rehearsal.

Tobey's comic capers, retold through an approachable epistolary style, make for a humorous and affectionately told story that is elevated through the characteristic social comments and human observations that permeate this author's work.

Barefoot Books have drawn upon the self-same creative sensibility, attention to detail and high production values that have earned them the place as one of the most distinctive and stylish picture books lists, in this their first forray into fiction.

The construction of childhood presented here is a decidedly pastoral one with its kite flying competitions, trips to market and sibling cookery sessions. Behind the surface of this, however, are the shifting political tectonics that lead to Mao Zedung's Cultural Revolution of 1966.

Ramifications of this are both clearly and cleverly drawn through the capture and subsequent decline of a bird which Little Leap Forward keeps trapped in a bamboo cage. The bird's refusal to sing and its inability to fly are consequences of its being held captive away from the natural influences that allow its replenishment. The creeping oppression whose reach is felt towards the end of the novel is wholly juxtaposed by the real sense of hope and liberation that the bird's release and free flight signify.

Gue Yue and Clare Farrow's text is marked by its reflective lyricism. This is complemented beautifully by the sights of Beijing, captured so evocatively through Helen Cann's full-colour illustration plates that intersperse the novel. Combining freedom of thought, action and imagination, this is a welcome first fiction offering from Barefoot Books that leaves one eager in the hope that a subsequent, more regular publishing plan might follow in a similar vein.

The brilliance of this book is its bare faced cheek in taking the Blytonian ideal of a secret society and bringing this bang up to date with Smartie-fart-tube traps, a sassy and irreverant gang name and battle for supremacy against rivals 'The Dockery Gang' played out in a frenetic football face-off.

Following the success of his irreverant style in the teen arena, Anthony McGowan transposes that self-same humour, yet understanding of child social groupings to a younger age range. Fans of 'The Secret Seven' will no doubt recognise several reference points here, not least, Jennifer Eccles, a sister who like Susie is keen to join-up.

Latent concerns about the toilet humour can be flushed aside against the vicarious access here granted to a secret society replete with its own covert initiation rituals... Despite its exclusive membership, this is an inclusive romp that developing readers will race through.

Personal aspirations and cultural expectation converge in this, Alexie Sherman's first novel for young adults. Junior exists as an outsider, from the world as a Native American living on a reservation, to his peers as an individual whose thinking, behaviour, actions and reactions are slower than with many because of excess cerebral spinal fluid at birth.

Through the course of the novel Junior battles against the prejudices of those around him, ultimately resulting in a decision that ostracises him from his people. The challenge then becomes proving himself, his worth and talent both intellectually and physically.

Junior's unique perspective on life results in the gradual acquisition of firm friendships and he battles towards a position whereby his individuality is recognised and acknowledged. At points painful, partly positive but always poignant, this an accomplished and astoundingly life-affirming novel.

The near-universal base of Jiggy's various mishaps and humiliations will make these familiar for many and thereby extending a sense of affinity towards him. Underlying the laugh-out-loud plot-lines, lies a caution as to the importance of privacy in adolescene, the ability to make our own mistakes, to fall prey to our doubts and emotions and ultimately to develop and grow because of that. Accordingly, as an adult reader, it is hard not to breathe a sigh of relief that Jiggy attains some form of reprieve by the end of novel and that his late childhood remains his own, not sold-off or commoditised.