Scan barcode
A review by katdid
Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar
3.0
So, I dunno. It was fine. But there was something very ordinary about this story.
Two things I did like a lot: the descriptions of surfing, even though I have no friggin' idea about surfing; and, the setting. I know Manly a bit and the northern beaches barely at all, but it's always cool to read a book that's so obviously set in Sydney. At one point Carly (after driving to the airport) wonders why you'd ever go south of the Spit Bridge: "Why you would want to live over there, I do not know." I have the same opinion, but in reverse: I can't imagine living north of the Harbour Bridge. It's a psychological block. Everything over there feels like a million miles away from anything that matters. Maybe that's the point. And maybe I'm just diametrically unable to get this book.
Spoiler
Look, I know Carly suffered horrible trauma, and she wasn't coping with it too well - 'cause (speaking from personal experience) when you're that age you think your only recourse is to deal with it yourself; seeking professional help or therapy is not an option. So she's pretty much a mess, living a quiet life and gradually isolating herself from everyone around her. The thing is, that actually doesn't make for a very gripping story. Carly's passivity and narrow focus kinda bugged me. She loves surfing to the exclusion of everything else - and then she gives up surfing. Okay, so she comes back to surfing eventually - but even with the promise of Ryan in her life (and stories where women are "saved" by the affections of a man rub me the wrong way) I'm not confident she's ever gonna get her shit together. But then, she is only 19. And Ryan's 26, and that age difference doesn't seem so terrific to me either. I liked Ryan's backstory a lot, but who is he beyond some dude who's been to jail and listens to The Sunnyboys? Even if he makes a mint in the mines what kind of future is he gonna offer Carly? Despite the surfing it all seems very mean and, fuck: you gotta dream big.Two things I did like a lot: the descriptions of surfing, even though I have no friggin' idea about surfing; and, the setting. I know Manly a bit and the northern beaches barely at all, but it's always cool to read a book that's so obviously set in Sydney. At one point Carly (after driving to the airport) wonders why you'd ever go south of the Spit Bridge: "Why you would want to live over there, I do not know." I have the same opinion, but in reverse: I can't imagine living north of the Harbour Bridge. It's a psychological block. Everything over there feels like a million miles away from anything that matters. Maybe that's the point. And maybe I'm just diametrically unable to get this book.