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A review by melbsreads
Between Us by Claire Atkins
4.0
Trigger warnings: refugee story, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, physical violence towards teenage girls and pregnant women, death of a parent (in the past), racial slurs, self-harm, mental health.
I've been wanting to read this book ever since I heard about it over a year ago. I mean, the story of an Iranian teenage girl living in an Australian detention centre and the Vietnamese-Australian son of one of her guards who befriends her at school? Uh, WOW.
The story is split between Ana, Jono, and Jono's father. Ordinarily, I'd be totally against having a parent's perspective in a YA book, but here it worked perfectly as Kenny fills the gap between their two worlds. I don't think I've ever come across a book before that confronts Australia's bullshit attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers as effectively as this one does.
The ending was a little abrupt for my liking, but on the whole, this was wonderful from start to finish.
I've been wanting to read this book ever since I heard about it over a year ago. I mean, the story of an Iranian teenage girl living in an Australian detention centre and the Vietnamese-Australian son of one of her guards who befriends her at school? Uh, WOW.
The story is split between Ana, Jono, and Jono's father. Ordinarily, I'd be totally against having a parent's perspective in a YA book, but here it worked perfectly as Kenny fills the gap between their two worlds. I don't think I've ever come across a book before that confronts Australia's bullshit attitude towards refugees and asylum seekers as effectively as this one does.
The ending was a little abrupt for my liking, but on the whole, this was wonderful from start to finish.