The problematic but enduring appeal of a childâs voice
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By Juliette Hughes
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For a first novel,
A Million Things has a great deal of support from its publisher. Text Publishingâs website is offering notes for teachers and book clubs. The testimonials include praise from Graeme Simsion, who calls it âa gem of a novelâ.
The story is of Rae, a 10-year-old girl living in Melbourneâs western suburbs. It is apparent from the first pages that her mother is missing and Rae goes to extraordinary lengths to conceal this. She is portrayed as a remarkably resilient and intelligent child who employs a series of elaborate subterfuges to try to cover up her motherâs absence. The plot concerns Raeâs plight and her ways of surviving in a world in which truth is harsh; just how harsh is the main burden of the novelâs progressive revelation.