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jeckehecke 's review for:
O Caledonia
by Elspeth Barker
I owened this book for ages and never picked it up, which is a shame as this Scottish Gothic coming of age autobiographical novel is quite rewarding. It begins with the death of the main protagonist, yet does not proceed in the classical case of a whodunnit. We see our misfit female protagonist grow, fail, learn to find her chosen family (animals and nature) while trying to navigate puberty, her dysfunctional family, her fellow and not so smart and intellectual boarding school students. J. loves literature and she crafts her own narrative, fuelled by the books she has read and the things she has learned. The ending might be frustrating and shocking to some, but it is actually quite smart. 5 stars