Description
Tim is nearing the end of his final year of secondary school and all he wants is for it to finish. Against his better judgement he agrees to the Principal’s request for him to “buddy up” with Gabriel, a refugee from South Sudan. Two months and it’ll be done, he tells himself. But when both Tim and Gabriel’s father each make one simple, but momentous decision, they are propelled in directions they never imagined they’d go. Murph doesn’t get it, Cat is shocked and angry, and Gabriel is in a coma.
Tim must re-evaluate his relationships with his mother and estranged father and ultimately decide if he’s got everything all wrong, and if there’s any coming back.
Review
Tim just wants to get through his last year of high school, and so far everything has been fine. He has hardly spoken to his Dad since he left, and now he’s apparently going to remarry, but Tim just wants to make it through the year.
When his principal asks him to keep an eye out for Gabriel, the new kid from South Sudan, a chain reaction begins. First, Tim gets seriously concussed during a soccer game. Then Gabriel’s dad, Dominic, has an “accident” at work. Finally, Gabriel get seriously beaten when going for a run. Tim witnesses the beating from afar but keeps quiet, but now, with Gabriel in an induced coma, is it time for him to speak up?
Debts were taken to get to Australia new free land, but now it is time to repay them, and Dominic is willing to do whatever it takes to pay for his, and more particularly, his son’s freedom. But what will the cost be?
With great characters including Tim’s new friend Cat, who takes no nonsense from him and encourages him to do what is right, we have an absorbing look into teenage life in Australia. Tackling growing up, doing the right thing, and the challenges faced by those arriving in Australia, and in particular those faced by African young people.
With themes of mateship, racism, and the challenge of being in a new place, but also growing up and learning to move on, this is a story that will best suit readers 14 and older.
Reviewed by Rob
