Description
A gritty YA novel about family secrets, hope and healing. Based on a true story.
Lisa’s father has six months to live. And a story to tell about a boy sent to Auschwitz. A boy who lost everything and started again. A story he has kept hidden – until now.
But Lisa doesn’t want to hear it, because she has secrets too. No one at school knows she is Jewish or that her dad is sick. Not even her boyfriend.
But that’s all about to change. And so is she.
Review
In 1980's Melbourne, Lisa is a normal teenager making her way through high school just like everyone else.
When her Dad is diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and given 6 months to live, Lisa can't even bring herself to tell her boyfriend Adam, or her best friend Deb. But as her Dad starts revealing stories from his past - of surviving the Holocaust as a young boy -
Lisa starts to change, as she comes to realise that shutting the world out just to fit in is not the best option.
A captivating story told through the 'then' and 'now' perspective, of her father's childhood, and then in Lisa's time.
Inkflower is a reminder of how the Holocaust still has an impact on people many years later, and how lessons learnt from the past can translate to the present. It also portrays the suffering MND can cause and gives perspective on life, death, and how we view ourselves through other people's eyes, instead of our own.
Whilst written in a teen-friendly way, due to the complex themes of the Holocaust, war, sickness and death, this story is best suited to readers aged 15+.
Teacher Notes prepared by the publisher are available on our website for this title.
Reviewed by Ben
