Pieces of Sky (Trinity Doyle, A&U)

When her big brother Cam dies in a surfing accident, Lucy is lost. She can’t swim, her family is a mess, school is a blur and her friends don’t seem to get it. Then she finds text messages on Cam’s phone—cryptic poems that were sent after he died. Lucy has enough to deal with without mysteries or old friends re-entering her life or new boys in town making things complicated. Only, maybe these things are exactly what she needs. Pieces of Sky is absolutely, absurdly lovely. There is something so incredibly genuine about this novel, from the honesty of the characters to the tangible setting of the Australian beach town, which makes you feel as though you could look up from the book to see the action playing out in front of you. Doyle has managed to explore the varied, unpredictable nature of grief with compassion and empathy. But far from being unbearably sad, Pieces of Sky is a beautiful, hopeful novel about family, growing up and powerful friendships new and old. Fans of Melina Marchetta and Vikki Wakefield are going to be thrilled by this promising new Australian talent. 

Meg Whelan is the children’s book buyer at the Hill of Content Bookshop in Melbourne

Category: Reviews