28 October 2010

Graffiti Moon

by Cath Crowley

Pan Macmillan Australia. Young Adult fiction, Australian. Paperback, rrp $16.99


Reviewed by Sandy Fussell

Lucy loves Shadow, even though she’s never met him. She knows he is her soul mate. She can see it in the scope and colour of his sprawling graffiti artworks. The city is his canvas and his friend Poet, adds just the right words.

No matter how she tries, Lucy cannot catch Shadow at work. He is as elusive as his name. Reality provides less appealing and far less romantic alternatives. Reality provides Ed, the high school dropout and paint store attendant. Not likely! She’s already been on a date with him and even though it was over a year ago, neither of them has forgotten how Lucy broke Ed’s nose.

When Lucy’s best friend Jazz sets her heart on Ed’s friend Leo, and their new friend Daisy is in a tenuous relationship with another of Ed’s friends, Dylan, a new social group emerges. She’s forced to spend time with Ed again. But it’s not as bad as she dreads and he even offers to help her find Shadow.

Love is hard to understand. Lucy’s having occasional fuzzy thoughts about Ed. Her parents, who have moved apart, seem to love each other more. Nothing is ever what she expects. Not even Shadow.

This is so much more than a love story. It’s about having dreams and deciding which ones to follow and which ones to let go. It’s about the freedom of artistic vision and the need to provide for everyday life. It’s about friendship, family and having fun. It’s a beautiful book and an excellent story.

No comments:

Post a Comment