Divine Clementine (Hayley S Kirk, Random House)

Clementine loves her hare-brained, free-spirited aunty Stella, with whom she connects even more than with her own mother. To Clem, it is as if she and her aunty are two-of-a-kind. When Stella is killed in an accident to which Clem is a witness, Clem falls into a deep fog of dissatisfaction with her family, her friends and the world around her. Only when Clem finds her aunty’s diaries does the full extent of Stella’s troubled life become clear. Stella was not the person Clem thought she was, and as Clem gets closer to the whole truth, it begins to hurt. Divine Clementine is Hayley S Kirk’s first novel, and the story is unique and colourful-full of issues rather than action. While the issues (depression, severe mental illness, family relationships) are important, and will have broad appeal to teenagers, the prose style, particularly Clementine’s thought processes and dialogue, may be a little young for a the intended 15+ audience. Clementine is not a terribly likeable character, and may find it hard to keep readers on-side. Some of the themes may not suit younger readers, although helpful references and discussion topics are included.

Rebecca Butterworth has awarded Divine Clementine two and a half stars out of five. She is a former bookseller, freelance writer and reviewer living in Melbourne

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Category: Reviews