Once Upon Tomorrow (Karen Comer, Lothian)

Once Upon Tomorrow is a complex young adult verse novel by CBCA-winning author Karen Comer (Grace Notes). The novel weaves together 3 alternating perspectives: Miri, an ambitious Year 12 student in 2025; Aleita, a 16-year-old in 2125; and Sylvie, who lives in a fairytale world. Miri discovers she is pregnant and faces a tough decision without her family’s support, jeopardising her plans to study psychology. Aleita’s world is vastly different; neural implants are the norm and “jolts” are used to prompt and manipulate behaviour. When Aleita’s grandmother dies under suspicious circumstances, she is determined to investigate. Sylvie’s world changes when the king chooses her to create a tapestry to save the kingdom, but she must stay true to herself and her craft, echoing Rumpelstiltskin. With 3 different perspectives and settings, Comer creates distinct voices, registers and vocabularies, making for an involved read that is occasionally awkward in the future setting, but contributes to the world-building. The young women are connected not just by their passion for craft and truth but also by family. Despite the pregnancy and mentions of sexual assault and self-harm, the content is rarely explicit, making it suitable for readers aged 15 and over. Once Upon Tomorrow is an ambitious but captivating novel that explores the bonds of women and craft, technology activism, climate change and psychology, and it will appeal to readers who enjoy verse novels, literature, fairytales, handicrafts and authors such as Cath Crowley and Pip Harry.

Books+Publishing reviewer: Clare Millar is a writer, editor and children's bookseller. Books+Publishing is Australia’s number-one source of pre-publication book reviews.

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