Rosanne Hawke

7/10, I picked this up from one of the two libraries I go to and this book is 20 years old now, wow throwback to the books in the 2000s, and this had a lower than 4-star rating so I went in with pretty low expectations considering that I've never read from this author before and this might be her debut book however it was interesting though certainly not one of the best historical books out there so where do I even begin? Did I mention that it's so obscure only a few people know of this book? The two stories within this novel were disconnected from each other at first, but they became related as I read through the book. There were two main characters, Zenna, and Jenefer, but Zenna for me was the better main character, since she experienced struggles such as finding a boyfriend, performing, and moving to Australia, but she overcame those challenges, it showed how resilient and perseverant she was, but Jenefer was rather flat in contrast if she wasn't, maybe this book would have received a higher score, but that issue is rather glaring and prevents me from rating this book any higher than that. It's such a shame that this book is so obscure therefore more people need to know about this book since it's a good one. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this book, if you like a quick read about family relationships and relatives, and historical theatre, this is the book for you, but if you want an in-depth look into historical theatre, I suggest you research it instead of reading this.… (meer)

Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley.

This story about reverse culture shock rang so real, I had to go back to the summary and make sure it was really fiction.

Jamie is still in high school when her family decides to leave Pakistan and move back to Australia so she and her siblings could continue their education. Even though she is supposed to be home, she feels like an alien, and as if she has lost her identity.

The story is narrated in first person and has few parts initially in a diary form—where Jamie changed the greeting for "Dear Pakistan—and then as a story inside the story, a kind of a what-if in case she had remained in Pakistan. I didn't like those parts for most of the book but it gradually caught me.

I haven't experienced anything close to Jamie but even I could relate to her situation. The author knew to put in words the feeling of not knowing where home is, and having lived through something though less intense I could identify word by word.

On the other hand, I still had a problem with Jamie. I have no idea how she was able to make so many friends when I couldn't feel any charisma on her part. I really wanted to like her, as I understood so well her feelings and even agreed with most of her choices, but it never happened.

The other flaw in the book was that it never engaged me. It did have a great conflict, it felt real but I didn't feel entertained. It was a very short story and easy to read, so this isn't a big loss. Still, had it been a longer book, I might have never remembered to finish it.

Even though this is the part of a series, the conclusion was more than satisfying, so I believe it can be read as a standalone. Still, I do feel curious about the next one in the series, as it brings again Jamie as the main character.

I believe it is the perfect pick for a younger public, middle-grade level. Moreover, the different point of view on Pakistan was very enriching, and would make for a heated discussion in a group, when compared to what one would usually think of the country and its costumes.… (meer)