The first thing that strikes you about this coming-of-age novel is its guileless charm.
Narrated by five-year-old Sylvie, the book’s Australian author Suzanne McCourt portrays the essence of her character’s childlike innocence through creative prose and imagery.
It offers a refreshing perspective of what family life is like for Sylvie growing up in the 1950s in a small fishing village on the southern coast of Australia.
In this we take her lead as she traipses on the fragile path towards adulthood. Along the way, Sylvie tries to get her head around key moments in her life such as the disappearance of her brother and the divorce of her parents.
The bittersweet nature of the tale is poignant and uplifting at the same time, complemented by beautiful story-telling that satisfies to the end. As debuts go, it’s a wonderful start to what is sure to be the first of many great novels for McCourt.
