Bro (Helen Chebatte, Hardie Grant Egmont)

Romeo Makhlouf knows he should be playing by the rules but the problem is the rules of being a bro aren’t the same as the rules laid down by his teachers or his father. As if responding to the recent call for more diverse books in Australian YA, Helen Chebatte’s debut brings something edgy and fresh to the table. With a tone reminiscent of the gritty suburban realism of ’90s authors such as Robin Klein (Came Back to Show You I Could Fly) and John Marsden (So Much to Tell You), Bro tackles big themes of identity, family, grief, loyalty, responsibility and racism. About halfway through the book there’s a scene where the teacher/bully Mrs Bankovic expects Romeo to be able to translate into English an article written in Arabic, although he can’t speak the language. This scene typifies the book at its best—moments observed with a light touch that leave the reader uncomfortably aware of their truth. In contrast, other moments seem overdramatised and the ending (without wanting to spoil it) lacks the subtlety of the earlier scenes. Regardless, Bro is a razor-sharp debut that cuts through contemporary social issues with warmth and humour.

Bec Kavanagh is a Melbourne writer and reviewer and the schools coordinator for the Stella Prize

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