A review by kali
Stone Girl by Eleni Hale

5.0

When I finished this novel I cried and cried. Something broke within me. This is the story of Sophie in the 'group homes' of Victoria in the 1990s; an ostensibly 'good' kid, whose path in life veered off course when her mother died. Nobody wants to foster and adopt kids who are teens, who may have suffered traumatic childhoods and may therefore be a little 'troubled'. Where do these kids go? Their lives are controlled by the Department, and they're placed and shuffled around group homes, little more than holding pens until they are old enough to no longer be the Department's problem. Control and choice of one's own life are themes that ripple through this 'coming-of-age' story, which was so immersive and deeply authentic. More than that, I often sat stunned at particular lines of Hale's: "I still don't like Fern, but we're stars in a universe circling each other, our light the only illumination in the darkness, so we cling together." When juxtaposed with the dedication to the author's "brightest stars" - presumably her daughters - my heart was rent for my own children. This story makes me determined to cling and cling to them, to stay alive, so that they have somewhere to belong and always know that they have someone who cares about them more than just a 'job'. Certainly the best book I have read this year.