Interview with 'Days Like This' author, Alison Stewart

As I post, the London riots rage on - with the thuggery spreading like a disease across Britain. So it's little wonder that I, and many other readers, have become so enamored of the Dystopian genre - when life imitates art and current events seem to have already sunk humanity into the bleak.

This is why I am so intensely curious about Dystopia,and why I read the genre voraciously - because its authors take measure of the world and wonder 'what if?' in an endlessly fascinating social science experiment.

I found this to be especially true of Alison Stewart's new YA Dystopian, 'Days Like This'. In the novel, Stewart explores environmental ignorance, tyranny, human vanity and distorted history. It was such a complex and compelling book that I was thrilled at the chance to pick her brain on everything from South Africa's apartheid to the novel's historic roots.

But don't worry, as much as Dystopia explores the dregs of humanity, it's also a genre about speaking out, fighting back and standing up for what you believe in. There's hope for humanity yet.

It is my great pleasure to present to you - Alison Stewart!

★

Q: How long did it take you to write ‘Days Like This’, from concept to final manuscript?

If Days Like This were a human baby, it would have been a super long pregnancy! Looking back over my notes and various drafts, I began thinking about it about nine years ago and writing it soon after that. I was also struggling with an adult book and various journalism projects, so Days Like This, which has endured a few name changes - Beyond the Walls, The Memory of Water and Water Moon - was a stop-start affair. It also began as a book for adults and has had to be substantially rewritten. You always worry when this happens that it will lose any flair it had, but I hope not!

Q: How were you first published – agent or slush pile?

I entered my very first manuscript, Born into the Country, into a writing competition. It was shortlisted and published in South Africa, where I grew up. It was inspired by the life of South African black consciousness leader, Steven Biko, who was killed by the apartheid regime. Days Like This had a similar, though more convoluted, genesis. Quite a few publishers read and rejected it. Finally, a friend suggested I enter it into the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award, which is a worldwide competition. It was one of the three YA finalists and Penguin Australia’s Jane Godwin signed it for publication here. I think the moral of the story is probably to enter your writing into as many competitions and awards as possible.

Q: ‘Days Like This’ is a novel that has its Dystopian roots entrenched in human vanity and environmental ignorance – why are these two subjects so important to you?

I think those two issues – human vanity and environmental ignorance – are consistent with the broad dystopian themes that deal with the rise of the individual and the collapse of community. There’s nothing wrong with individualism, but if it is rooted in a kind of savage materialism which finds form in the pursuit of power for the few at the expense of the majority, that’s when societal rot may set in. It does concern me that the gap between super rich and poor is widening so rapidly. Add to this mix environmental devastation thanks to a combination of resource stripping and climate change, which vested interests love to deny. Outcomes could be grim as the powerful take control of limited resources like water, food and fuel. Days Like This deals with this scenario and takes it further. British historian Lord Acton said that “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”. When people think they’re all-powerful, they might also think they are invincible, even immortal. This is another issue that’s explored in Days Like This.

Q: ‘Days Like This’ has echoes of history. The Wall surrounding Sydney is reminiscent of Berlin in 1961, and the Blacktroopers conjure images of Hitler’s SS. You grew up in South Africa during apartheid – so is it fair to say that having lived a little slice of dictatorial history influenced your novel’s fascist themes?

Yes, that’s very true. Growing up under apartheid meant people were always afraid. The state wielded complete control, using its secretive and brutal Bureau of State Security (BOSS) to intimidate anyone who opposed it. Like BOSS, Hitler’s SS and East Germany’s Stasi, those who hold power undemocratically must use dictatorial methods to retain control. In Days Like This, the Central Governing Committee represents the fascist state and the Blacktroopers are the enforcers. The Wall is a physical barrier to control the population, including those considered “privileged”. The point here is that everyone suffers under fascism, even the fortunate, because, in benefiting from a brutal regime, you risk losing what is ultimately most important: your humanity. (Try and see the film The Lives of Others for a fantastic portrayal of the harm inflicted on both Stasi perpetrator and victim.)

Q: Were you already a fan of all things Dystopian, or did you start reading and writing in the genre after you had the idea for ‘Days Like This’?

When I wrote this book, the term “dystopian” to describe a fictional genre wasn’t as widely used as “speculative”. So I thought of Days Like This as “speculative”, along the lines of some of my favourite books - Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale, Lois Lowry’s The Giver and more recently, Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. I’ve always been interested in books where the protagonists are faced with a disintegrating world slightly removed from reality (rather than hard-core science fiction which I find harder to relate to) and must use their initiative to survive. I like Australian writer Sylvia Kelso’s description of dystopian and speculative fiction. She calls it “the literature of ideas” and I think that’s spot on - the great “what if?”

Q: Dystopia certainly has its claws in the Young Adult readership at the moment. Why do you think this genre is commanding the reading marketplace?

Today’s young adults have grown up with a range of sophisticated technology. It saturates our world with information about big, seemingly insoluble issues. The internet and all forms of our media feature alarming stories about political unrest, wars, riots, geological disasters like earthquakes, global warming, famine, droughts and economic meltdown. Look at the current British youth riots, which probably have something to do with the fact that the richest 10 per cent are now 100 times better off than the poorest and where it is becoming harder and harder to move out of your social class. From an early age, we witness devastation in technicolour and it can be traumatic. I think dystopian fiction allows young adult readers to not only explore confronting themes safely but also to feel empowered through the actions of characters of a similar age. Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy featuring feisty sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen provides a perfect example of how one small, disadvantaged person can survive with humour, courage and determination in a brutal, post-apocalyptic world.

Q: Some people may be disturbed by Dystopia’s bleak outlook and harsh lessons. But there is merit in a genre that explores the dregs of humanity and compels individuals to rise up against the hopelessness. What do you hope your young readers take away from ‘Days Like This’?

If people are disturbed by these things, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing. Our world is complicated and it doesn’t hurt to think about decisions our world leaders are making on our behalf, decisions that may have disturbing consequences. Readers are free to explore social possibilities through dystopian fiction and consider big moral issues like the distribution of power and the consequences of excess materialism. I recently read an article where the writer said that “Australia has become a selfish nation addicted to an unsustainable lifestyle, paid for by stealing resources from our children”. Days Like This explores exactly that – what might happen if the world continues down that path. I’d love it if readers thought about that.

Q: Some readers are speculating that ‘Days Like This’ finished with the possibility of more... Will you write a series or sequel, or is ‘Days Like This’ a definite stand-alone?

I purposely left the ending open as I’d really love to write a sequel, even a series. Perhaps this is why some people have found the ending frustrating or oversimplified.

Q: You’re currently working on a memoir titled ‘Cold Stone Soup’. Can you tell us a bit about this?

It’s about growing up under apartheid in South Africa. Like most other privileged white children of the times, I was completely unaware of what was going on, but gradually I, like many others, woke up to the immorality of the system.

Q: Favourite book(s) of all time?

I have hundreds of favourite books but if I have to single out some, here they are: Rose Tremain’s Music & Silence, MJ Hyland’s Carry Me Down, A.S. Byatt’s Possession, Shirley Hazzard’s Transit of Venus, J.M. Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians, Olive Schreiner’s Story of an African Farm, Martin Boyd’s The Cardboard Crown, Peter Hoeg’s Miss Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, Doris Lessing’s The Grass is Singing, Janet Frame’s To the Is-land, Jessica Anderson’s Tirra Lirra by the River, Tim Winton’s Dirt Music, E. Annie Proulx’s The Shipping News, George Eliot’s Middlemarch, Kerry Hulme’s The Bone People, Lian Hearn’s Across the Nightingale Floor, Yann Martel’s Life of Pi, Barry Unsworth’s Sacred Hunger, Paul Scott’s Staying On, Frank Herbert’s Dune, Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy, Victor Kelleher’s Taronga and Parkland series, Richard Adams’ Watership Down, the books I’ve already mentioned earlier in the Q&A, This is fun; I could go on and on. Better not.

Q: Favourite author(s)?

Tolkien, Dickens, George Eliot, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Jane Austen for some of the classics. For contemporary writers, I look forward to new books by Kazuo Ishiguro, Aravind Adiga whose fantastic debut novel was The White Tiger, Lauren Beukes who won the 2011 Arthur C Clarke Award for Zoo City, Tim Winton who writes so beautifully about place, Geraldine Brooks – I loved her Year of Wonders, Cormac McCarthy and anything by Ian McEwan, Arundhati Roy, Meg Rosoff, Jeffrey Eugenides, Alan Hollinghurst and many more.

Q: What advice do you have for budding young writers?

Don’t be afraid to write and keep writing, but also don’t be afraid to edit. Don’t be put off by rejection – easier said than done! It goes without saying that you should read widely and when you come across something you love, take note of how the author has achieved this. And as I said earlier, enter your writing in competitions. You never know your luck!

My 'Dystopia' article in Penguin's August 'Off the Shelf' magazine

Hello Darling Readers,

Exciting news and a bit of shameless self-promotion. . . I have an article in Penguin's August issue of online magazine 'Off the Shelf', with the lovely Melina Marchetta on the cover!

Entitled 'Dystopia', I discuss all things Dystopic and why bleak may just be better. I also do some gushing over Penguin's latest YA Dystopian offerings - including my recent favorite's, 'Legend' and 'Days Like This'.

And if you'll notice, I do make mention of Ally Condie's upcoming 'Crossed' . . . because I have read it (and loooooooooved it!). I was given an advanced copy for the purpose of this article and I can't wait to share my thoughts closer to release date (oh it's good - it's very, very good!).

Anyway, I just wanted to say 'looky what I did!' and let you all know it's free and available online right now!

I had so much fun writing the article (and getting my hands on some advance book copies!). BIG thanks to Del Robinson and Erin Wamala from Penguin for thinking of me and making it all happen! I'd love to do it all again some time (honestly, I could write about books for days and days. . .)

'Supernaturally' Paranormalcy #2 by Kiersten White

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Once upon a time Evie dreamed about a life of normalcy – school, homework, lockers, cafeteria gossip and cute boys. In reality, Evie worked for the International Paranormal Containment Agency where she helped bag and tag renegade supernaturals – from vampires to werewolves, trolls and faeries. Her ex-boyfriend was a controlling and beautiful fae maniac, and her best friend was a mermaid.

But that was months ago. Before Evie found out she was soulless, possible part-fae and unfairly mortal. Before Evie met Lend, the handsome shape-changing boy who stole her heart and broke her out of IPCA.

Now Evie is living that life of normalcy, and it’s decidedly . . . dull. Life is nothing like her favourite teen drama, ‘Easton Heights’ – gym is torture, homework hell and Evie doesn’t fit in anywhere, for Bleep’s sake.

So when her crazy fae ex, Reth, turns up talking about the fae realms and looking out for Evie’s best interests, she’s wary but also a little relieved. And when her old boss, Racquel, pulls Evie back into the IPCA department she finds herself once more with purpose (not to mention a company credit card!).

‘Supernaturally’ is the second book in Kiersten White’s YA ‘Paranormalcy’ series.

I read ‘Paranormalcy’ late last year and was blown away. White’s book was a mix of ‘Hellboy’ and ‘Heroes’, with witty writing to rival Joss Whedon – it quickly earned a place on my ‘favourites’ list.

So it was with great expectation that I started reading ‘Supernaturally’ . . . but by book’s end I was slightly deflated.

When the book begins Evie is living normal. After spending most of her young life at the IPCA, she is now attending high school, rooming with a vampire and working minimum wage at the local diner. Her boyfriend, the Döppelganger Lend, has gone off to college in Georgetown and they only spend weekends together. Evie is struggling with her grades and trying to cope with a gym-teacher’s unjustified hatred. All in all, normal adolescent behaviour is not all it’s cracked up to be.

Evie misses feeling useful and hates how out of depth she is now. So when her ex-boyfriend, the fae Reth, reappears in her life she’s scared and even a teensy-weensy bit curious. And when IPCA comes knocking, she readily agrees to lend her services – even if it means keeping it a secret from her boyfriend.

I think White spends a long time establishing Evie’s ‘fish out of water’ hopelessness. The first half of the book is dedicated to illustrating just how miserable she is, but determined to put on a brave (normal) face. It’s interesting to read Evie’s growing friendship with vampire-roomier, Arianna, and how she juggles living normal in a supernatural world. But a big hindrance to these scenes is the lack of Lend. I thought Evie and Lend’s unconventional but cosmic romance was a big selling-point of ‘Paranormalcy’ – Lend is a boy who can change his appearance to look like anyone, and Evie is the only girl in the world who can see through the facade to his true self. I thought they were a brilliant couple, so I was a little disheartened to discover that Lend is absent for most of ‘Supernaturally’. Granted, his absence is a part of the plot, but I still would have liked more of what hooked me in ‘Paranormalcy’.

I also felt a little led-on by the blurb for ‘Supernaturally’. Reth is mentioned, and I thought that hinted that he would have a bigger role in this second novel . . . especially since his character was trotted out in ‘Paranormalcy’ to tease and intrigue readers. And Reth is a brilliant, complex and shadowed character with much potential. I had my fingers-crossed to read more of him in this book, but sadly his page-time is minimal at best. There is a possibility that he could have a meatier role in the third book . . . but I won’t hold my breath.

I was chugging along in this book, a little disheartened by my lack of enthusiasm for, what I thought was, a really promising new series. And then Kiersten White put the pedal to the metal and really kick-started the plot to run full throttle to the finish line. The last five or so chapters are twisted, and heart-palpitating – the action is frenzied and harrowing and all the characters clash together in a brilliant final crescendo.

Uver-vamp frowned. “Beg Pardon?”

“Don’t make me do this. You remember in the alley? You knew then. I saw it – your instincts kicking in, telling you to be afraid of me.” I leaned forward, my hands balled into fists and trembling at my sides. “You should listen to your instincts.”

He smiled, licking his sharp teeth. “I’m afraid I’m rather more curious than frightened. I want to taste you, find out what kind of monster you are.”

The last few chapters have Evie confronting uncomfortable truths and unearthing lies. It’s an intense dash to the finish – but the finale bumped this book up in my esteem and has me salivating for third instalment, ‘Endlessly’, scheduled for 2012.

3.5/5

'A Courtesan's Guide to Getting Your Man' by Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan

From the BLURB:

Regency London’s most celebrated courtesan, The Blackbird, was a woman before her time—uninhibited, financially independent, and free to live by her own rules. Schooled in the sensual arts by the one man she loved the most, she recorded every wicked detail in her diaries…

When Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont unearths The Blackbird’s steamy memoirs, she’s aroused and challenged by what she finds. Could the courtesan’s diaries be used as a modern girl’s guide to finding love and empowerment? One curious curator—and one very lucky man—are about to find out…

In present-day Boston museum curator Piper Chase-Pierpont has made the discovery of her career. While organizing an exhibit for the life and times of infamous and beloved Boston abolitionist Ophelia Harrington, Piper stumbles across a hidden diary. . . written in the flourished hand of Ophelia herself, the diary is an extraordinary insight into the young activist’s very private life – her life before politics and family, when she was London’s notorious ‘Blackbird’ – a highly sought-after courtesan, once accused of murder.

For Piper, this museum exhibit is a last-ditch effort to keep her job. With the country in recession and last season’s disastrous exhibit still hanging over her head, the last thing Piper needs is a contentious diary labelling one of Boston’s most beloved historic figures as a scarlet woman. And then Mick Malloy swaggers into town . . . Mick, her old university teacher and first (and last) lustful crush. Until the night that Mick shattered Piper’s confidence – the repercussions of that ego-damaging turn-down carrying into Piper’s thirty-year-old spinsterhood still. Mick is now a big-wig archaeological superstar, in town to help the family business and organize a reality TV show.

Her job hanging on the line and her first love making a reappearance – Piper turns to Ophelia’s sumptuous diary entries for guidance. And as Piper decides to take hold of her life and reinvent herself, she reads Ophelia doing the same from 1813 as she learns the art of seduction under the tutelage of a masked-man known only as ‘Sir’ – a man who will hold Ophelia’s heart (and Piper’s fascination) for twelve long years.

‘A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man’ is the contemporary/historical romance combo from authors Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan.

I have been dying to read this book ever since it came out in May. I read a fantastic review from reputable bookish source, Julie of ‘Outlandish Dreaming’ . . . not to mention Susan Donovan piquing my interest last year when I read her (incredible) contemporary romance ‘He Loves Lucy’. I was also curious of a romance written by two authors covering two romantic sub-genres – Donovan writing the contemporary, and Bradley the historical. So even before I cracked this book open I had an inkling this book was something special – and I was right.

I thought I was a pretty old-hat romantic reader at this point – but Donovan and Bradley have delivered an entirely new romantic enterprise with ‘Courtesan’s Guide’. I love contemporary romances, and I adore historical romances – but never have I read a book that combines the two so splendidly and seamlessly. The beginning of the book is told from present-day Boston, with Piper reading excerpts from Ophelia’s discovered diary. Piper’s spinster-predicament is covered, and her re-romance with Mick quickly established . . . and then as she becomes consumed with winning Mick over and taking her life by the horns, Celeste Bradley takes over the reins and the narrative switches to Ophelia back in 1813 as she begins her courtesan-quest. From there on in the two women’s tales are told simultaneously and alternating – their romances running concurrently.

Ophelia’s world is turned upside-down when her uncle and aunt auction her hand in marriage. Disgusted by the prospect of being bought and bartered, Ophelia seeks out one of the most infamous and exalted ladies of London – the Swan. She is a courtesan extraordinaire – coveted and carefree, gorgeous and graceful. Ophelia throws herself on the Swan’s mercy and tutelage, relieved when the lady agrees to help Ophelia and find her a protector. Thus, she is introduced to ‘Sir’ – the mysterious masked man who is her instructor in the carnal arts. For one week Sir teaches Ophelia all she will need to know about pleasing men and enamouring herself to society. The two share a luscious and precious bond – and though Ophelia spends the next few years as a highly sought-after courtesan, luxuriating in the finest men’s beds, she never forgets the man who taught her everything she knows . . . about love, lust and longing.

Meanwhile, in present-day Boston, homey and plain Piper is mortified when her ages-old crush waltzes into town. She has been hung-up on him since grad school, and while Mick has been off cavorting around the world she has been stuck under-paid, under-appreciated and under-sexed – pining for a man who never wanted her to begin with. But that’s all going to change thanks to Ophelia’s words of wicked wisdom.

I loved both Ophelia and Piper – two very different women with delicious stories to tell. Admittedly, Piper and Ophelia’s respective stories could have been books unto themselves . . . but things are so much more interesting and better balanced with Bradley and Donovan sharing the pen.

If we’d just had Ophelia’s story I’m not sure I would have been terribly patient with her boudoir-shenanigans and bed-hopping. The small slice of her life that we read is fiercely independent and forward-thinking – she was a woman who didn’t want to be tied down to a man, let alone bargained into marrying one. She saw a loophole in society – where men’s mistresses are free to live alone, make their own money and choose their partners – but who are still beloved by London society for their titillating behaviour and trend-setting. As it is, with the book split between two worlds, we only ever read about Ophelia’s explicit time with Sir – and her other paramours are brushed over and easily summarised.

I was a woman free to be extraordinarily unwise.
What a delightful notion.

Likewise, Piper’s story could have been fairly ho-hum – the story of a plain jane turned makeover miracle isn’t exactly original, and the tale would have been over in a matter of chapters. So, while both Ophelia and Piper’s stories could have carried their own book – each is strengthened by linking to the other in ‘Courtesan’s Guide’.

Both stories, combined, are titillatingly delicious. Piper and Mick’s romance is sweetly sensual, while Ophelia and Sir have a scorching romance. Both love stories are equally fervent and beautifully tender – we wonder if Piper and Mick will let work get in the way of their newfound love, while Sir and Ophelia battle each other’s wills and then the court of law.

And at the centre of the plot is Piper’s determination to tell Ophelia’s true X-rated story. Ophelia’s tale tells of the London marriage-mart and the few options for women of the times . . . her history also lends evidence to her future abolition activism, and Piper believes it is a tale worth telling (no matter how raunchy!).

“I’m going to lose my job, you know. Probably right there on the spot.” Her words were flat. “And there won’t be a lot of choices for me afterward. The museum world isn’t exactly clamouring for over-budget, renegade feminist curators these days.”
Mick slipped an arm around her shoulders. “But the world is always in need of women brave enough to fight the establishment.”
She looked up at him sideways, a small smile touching her lips.

I knew I would love Celeste Bradley and Susan Donovan’s ‘A Courtesan’s Guide to Getting Your Man’ – but I couldn’t predict how much. I absolutely, thoroughly and unabashedly adored this book, and it’s going on the 2011 favourite’s list for sure! I intend to read more books by both authors, and keep my fingers firmly crossed that they decide to write another romance-duet.

5/5

'The Edge of Night' by Jill Sorenson

From the BLURB:

To support her small daughter, April Ortiz does what she has to do—which means waiting tables in a skimpy outfit at a popular nightclub in the gang-infested area of Chula Vista. When one of her co-workers is found raped and murdered, April does what she knows she shouldn’t—she defies the neighborhood code by giving the police a hardcore gang member’s name.

Clean-cut cop Noah Young wants a shot at breaking this case more than anything in the world—that is, until he meets the unforgettable April Ortiz. When April gives Noah the tip, a spark ignites. As the fire between them threatens to blaze out of control, the two are dragged down further into the dark mysteries of the graffiti-lined streets, taunted by a crazed killer who could strike again at any time.

Noah Young is a green cop working on the Chula Vista anti-gang unit. He loves his job, and is still optimistic that he can make a difference to the turf warfare that runs rampant between the various Mexican/Hispanic gangs. But one day Noah stumbles across a make-or-break case – he finds the dead body of a young Hispanic woman; she has been brutally raped and strangled - and all signs point to her death being a gang-related warning.

Noah’s investigation leads him to a popular nightclub where the girl worked. It is here that he meets April Ortiz, a beautiful young mother who is slinging drinks to keep her head above water. Her co-workers death has April scared, enough to incur the wrath of local gangs and give Noah a name, and a lead … but April is playing a risky game. Her daughter’s father is an infamous gang member, Raul, who is behind bars now, but could still make trouble for April and her daughter Jenny.

Meanwhile, Noah’s young sister Meghan has fled her strict catholic college and is desperate to get some life experience – begging Noah to let her stay with him for a little while. She gets a job at a local minimart, where she meets and befriends a clean-cut gang member called Eric Hernandez. Eric sells drugs on the side of his minimum wage job; partly to help his ailing grandmother, but also to assist his brother’s ex girlfriend and daughter – April and Jenny.

As the Chula Vista killer gets more and more brazen, the four lives of Noah, April, Eric and Meghan intersect and become tangled in webs of deceit, love and chaos.

‘The Edge of Night’ is the new romantic suspense novel from Jill Sorenson.

I read this one upon recommendation of the brilliant book blogger, Mandi from Smexy. And, I have to admit; if it hadn’t been for Mandi’s golden recommendation I probably would have passed this one by. The cover doesn’t do a whole lot for me; it’s a little bit 80’s romantic trash, and there’s nothing on the cover to hint at the sex-appeal within (unless you’re into the Blue Man Group?). But I am really glad that I listened to a fellow blogger’s recommendation and gave this one a chance – because it was brilliant.

Sorenson’s blue-man cover doesn’t hint at the heavy-hitting violence and gang explorations within. Yes, ‘Edge’ is primarily a romance – but Sorenson’s violent undertones and gang-focus makes for an intense storyline that really packs a punch.

The book is told from the four perspectives of Noah, April, Eric and Meghan. From Noah we get the lawman’s eyes – how he sees the tagging and gangbanging prevalent in the Vista. Noah is still a green cop, and eager to make a difference. He’s actually taking the time to learn Spanish and wants to see these people as individuals, rather than a collective of thieves. But from Noah we read the weariness of his fellow cops – those who have been on the force for a long time and believe that the gangs will never be wiped out, and anyone associated with them is scum.

From Eric, we get first-hand accounts of a local gang – the Chula Vista Locos (CVL). Eric is a quiet and intense young man – his father was violent, as was his brother – and as an antithesis to them, he respects women and is disgusted by violence against them. Eric is the breadwinner and carer for his grandmother, and eager to make life easier for his niece and her mother. Eric is in the CVL more out of familial loyalty than a genuine love of mayhem. Eric’s perspective is chillingly honest – like when he recounts witnessing his first gang-bang (when a young woman is, literally, jumped into the group by offering herself up to all gang members).

April was a gangbanger’s girlfriend for years. Raul hit her and raped her but she loved him – so much that she took drugs with him and stayed with him, even after he abused her. It wasn’t until she fell pregnant with Jenny that she left that lifestyle behind – adamant that she would give her daughter a better life than she had. From April, we get the viewpoint of someone who was once ingrained in the CVL – but is now on the outskirts, walking on eggshells and wanting to avoid detection.

Meghan is new to the Chula Vista area – so she is looking at this world with naked eyes. She knows that Eric is a gang member, but she has no concept of what that means as she finds herself falling in love with him.

When these four lives interact and criss-cross, it makes for explosive couplings and mismatched love pairs. April and Noah have the most to lose from their courtship – but April can’t resist Noah’s steadfast kindness, and Noah is blinded by April’s strength and determination. Though it could endanger April’s life and end Noah’s career, they embark on a relationship.

Patrick gave him a weighted stare. His gray-blue eyes looked like dirty ice, and sweat dotted his ruddy forehead. “How was your date?”
The question was so accusatory, Noah flinched. “None of your business.”
Patrick snorted his derision. “That’s what I thought,” he said, unlocking his truck. “You’re fucking some crew member’s baby mama, but I’m the one who gets sent home for inappropriate conduct.”

Likewise, Eric and Meghan’s unlikely love intensifies after he plays white knight to her at a bonfire. Eric doesn’t think he’s good enough for Meghan; while she is adamant that he’s not like his fellow CVL members, and should get out of the gang before it’s too late.

Both relationships in ‘Edge’ are intense and erotic. Jill Sorenson writes some sizzling scenes that are especially heated for the high-risks each character is taking with their heart.

My only complaint about ‘Edge’ was the ending for one character, which left the book off on a somewhat sombre note that didn't entirely sit well with me... but I have since contacted Sorenson and confirmed that Eric and Meghan's book will be written next year (YAY!!!), but the actual release date is TBD.

‘The Edge of Night’ was a powerful and tellingly violent romantic suspense. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book; heart-racing and blood burning for the murder mystery whodunit, as well as the high-stakes romances throughout. This may have been my first Sorenson read, but it won’t be my last!

4.5/5

'Only Ever Always' by Penni Russon

Received from the Publisher

From the BLURB:

Who dreams the dreamer?

Claire lives in an ordinary world where everything is whole. But inside Claire is broken. The silvery notes of her music box allow her an escape from her grief into a dream-world, into Clara's world.

Clara's world has always been broken. She finds broken things to swap at the markets; she walks the treacherous route past the brown river where lone dogs prowl; she avoids the seamy side when she can, but with powerful people pulling the strings, it's not always possible.

Which world is real?

Claire's and Clara's paths are set to collide, and each has much to lose - or gain.

Original and poetic, this captivating novel explores dreams, grief, friendship and love through a brilliantly constructed dystopian fantasy world.

Claire is an ordinary girl whose world is about to be ripped to shreds. Her uncle Charlie has been in an accident, and no amount of promising from Claire’s mum will guarantee his health. While Claire waits to hear news from the hospital, she thinks about Charlie’s wife, Pia, and the baby on the way – Claire’s little cousin to-be.

In another time and place, Clara is on the wrong side of the river – a slum girl in a desolate world where zones have kings and Clara is torn between her own Andrew, and the brown-water eyed Groom, who begs her to cross the river with him.

Both girls dream of music boxes and keys, and eventually their worlds cross and interlace – Clara imprisoned in Miss Boedica’s palace cage and Claire on the verge of heartache in her bed.

But who is the dreamer and who is the dream?

‘Only Ever Always’ is the new young adult novel from Australian author, Penni Russon.

I’ll be honest and say that ‘Only Ever Always’ is not your typical YA novel, nor will it tickle the fancy of every young reader. But the toughness is part of the charm, as Russon explores complicated literary illusions and offers up a very different form of storytelling. ‘Only Ever Always’ will be a rewarding read for the intrepid young bibliophile who dares to try – but it’s also a novel to captivate and challenge older readers, as I found.

Normally I wouldn’t be overly interested in a novel like ‘Only Ever Always’ (much as it shames me to admit). But I was willing to give the benefit of the doubt, thanks to a film trailer I watched recently. The 2011 indie film ‘Another Earth’ from director Mike Cahill is the story of a duplicate earth – a replica planet where doppelganger’s mirror earth’s residents. Since watching the trailer for this film I have found myself fascinated with the idea of parallel worlds and parallel-selves – so much so that I thought the release of Russon’s novel happily fortuitous, since she explores similar themes in ‘Only Ever Always’.

There is Claire – living in a world much like our own, with a mother and a father and an uncle and aunt coming to visit. But when tragedy strikes she retreats into herself, awaiting news of her uncle from the comfort of her bed. She weaves in and out of fretful sleep.

Intersecting with Claire is Clara – a girl from a strange and dirty place. She is a guttersnipe, trading goods at the market and desperately searching for medicine for her sickly saviour, Andrew. Clara is pursued by gutter king, Groom, who desperately wants her as his own and wishes she would cross the river with him . . . and Clara is terrified at how badly she starts to want Groom too.

Readers will bring different understandings to Claire and Clara – you make think that one is a dream and the other the dreamer. Perhaps you wait for their real-time lives to catch up and for them to meet face to face. And that is the precise, distilled brilliance of ‘Only Ever Always’. It’s illusive and open-ended, altered by the impressions of the reader.

I am a dreamer too, and I must wake into a world of dreamers. You can feel it – can’t you? – the peeling off of me, another small loss you have to bear. We all bear it, as best we can, this infinite chain of miniature losses, a hundred thousand stories, a hundred thousand endings. A rehearsal you could call it, for the last ending that’s bound to come, eventually, somewhere in the white space between here and dreaming.

Claire and Clara’s alternate universes floating between dream and dreamer reminded me of an infamous quote from Chinese philosopher, Master Zhuang:

Once upon a time, I, Chuang Chou, dreamed I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Chou. Soon I awoke, and there I was, veritably myself again. Now I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly, dreaming I am a man.

As I said before, ‘Only Ever Always’ is not an ‘easy’ young adult novel. If you read the author’s note at the end of the book, you’ll see that Russon conjured the idea for the novel during a conversation with her young daughter around about the time she was writing a master degree thesis about melancholy in narrative structure. Like I said; not exactly an ‘easy’ concept to grapple with – especially in young adult fiction.

But Russon strings readers along in her melancholic narrative by writing a very fascinating Clara-story. This world is very strange, at once harking back to a grimy past, but with hints of modernity. It almost reads like a steampunk mash-up of dueling atmosphere. And making Clara’s story even more interesting is her altering feelings for Groom – the boy who wants to cage her, and who she just might like being captured by.

‘Only Ever Always’ is not an easy novel, but Russon’s story is beautifully strange and lyrically intricate. It’s a different sort of YA read, and all the more fulfilling for its oddity.

5/5

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