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Roseghetto
An unforgettable novel about growing up in public housing in Western Sydney.
Shayla is on a newspaper assignment when she returns to the public housing estate where she grew up and finds it demolished. The locals have been evicted, their homes erased, their stories too. Standing among the rubble of Rosemeadow, Shayla is assailed by her memories of living there. The bad secret Daddy asked her to keep. Mummy rekindling a dangerous romance. Making friends with ‘the gutter kids’.
Surrounded by poverty, confronted by domestic violence, Shayla found her escape in reading. Now it’s time to tell the stories of Rosemeadow, including her own.
Roseghetto is an unforgettable and moving coming-of-age story, an account of breaking the cycle of violence and poverty.
Shayla is on a newspaper assignment when she returns to the public housing estate where she grew up and finds it demolished. The locals have been evicted, their homes erased, their stories too. Standing among the rubble of Rosemeadow, Shayla is assailed by her memories of living there. The bad secret Daddy asked her to keep. Mummy rekindling a dangerous romance. Making friends with ‘the gutter kids’.
Surrounded by poverty, confronted by domestic violence, Shayla found her escape in reading. Now it’s time to tell the stories of Rosemeadow, including her own.
Roseghetto is an unforgettable and moving coming-of-age story, an account of breaking the cycle of violence and poverty.
400 pages, Paperback
First published July 4, 2023
6 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 59 reviews
July 6, 2023
This is not a happy book, it is a tale of abuse, poverty, self-harm and the sadness and melancholy that grow and thrive from a life full of countless challenges and setbacks. The story is told through the eyes of the protagonist Shayla. A wonderful character that Jagger has gifted to the reader.
Shayla grew up in the Rosemeadow Public Housing Estate. Her father sexually abused her and her stepfather, while not abusing her physically, certainly abuses her verbally and mentally. Her mother, struggling to get by, also rarely has a good word to say to Shayla either, threatening estrangement with every fight.
Reading along you cannot help but feel Shayla’s pain and sadness, a bond is formed between the reader and Shayla, and it only strengthens as her problems multiply. At times it is heartbreaking to read as Shayla turns to self-harm and bulimia.
Shayla whilst being the heart of the novel is also a vehicle used by Jagger to bring awareness to important issues that plague many families and children, particularly those financially troubled and living in Public Housing. The abuse that goes on behind closed doors. Children falling behind at school, struggling from hunger, tired from helping their mother with their infant siblings. Jagger opens the readers eyes to just how bad some children have it, starting behind the eight-ball straight from birth. Awareness is a step to breaking the interminable problems of domestic violence, abuse, and poverty.
However as sad as this brilliant debut is, it is also filled with hope. Shayla never gives up.
In 2019 Jagger won the Heyman Mentorship Award for a writer from a background of social or economic disadvantage. Growing up in a housing commission estate, I feel that Shayla may be Jagger within the pages and that is why this wonderful debut shines.
Shayla grew up in the Rosemeadow Public Housing Estate. Her father sexually abused her and her stepfather, while not abusing her physically, certainly abuses her verbally and mentally. Her mother, struggling to get by, also rarely has a good word to say to Shayla either, threatening estrangement with every fight.
Reading along you cannot help but feel Shayla’s pain and sadness, a bond is formed between the reader and Shayla, and it only strengthens as her problems multiply. At times it is heartbreaking to read as Shayla turns to self-harm and bulimia.
Shayla whilst being the heart of the novel is also a vehicle used by Jagger to bring awareness to important issues that plague many families and children, particularly those financially troubled and living in Public Housing. The abuse that goes on behind closed doors. Children falling behind at school, struggling from hunger, tired from helping their mother with their infant siblings. Jagger opens the readers eyes to just how bad some children have it, starting behind the eight-ball straight from birth. Awareness is a step to breaking the interminable problems of domestic violence, abuse, and poverty.
However as sad as this brilliant debut is, it is also filled with hope. Shayla never gives up.
In 2019 Jagger won the Heyman Mentorship Award for a writer from a background of social or economic disadvantage. Growing up in a housing commission estate, I feel that Shayla may be Jagger within the pages and that is why this wonderful debut shines.
January 10, 2024
How on earth is this a debut novel? Roseghetto is ultra impressive and mega impactful. Kirsty Jaggar has poured her heart and soul into this coming of age story.
As someone who has grown up in the Public Housing sector, I have witnessed first hand at how quickly things can escalate- being for example; domestic or neighbourhood disputes, poverty, drug abuse or self harm. Often, those who can't afford other means of accommodation are grouped together in close proximity and that's how all the trouble begins. Believe me- my experiences have left me traumatised.
Shayla's experiences though left me gob smacked. We first meet her as a wee three year old who is already beginning to show the signs of mental and physical trauma. It makes me absolutely sick to the stomach to learn that her own father was sexually abusing her. It's little wonder that she's petrified of Daddy and refuses to spend any time with him.
In the beginning, Shayla's Mum does her best to provide and protect. After escaping her husband's wrath, she manages to create some sort of safe haven for her little girl. Sadly, Lauren continues to selfishly make wrong decisions which causes a never ending cycle of destruction. The biggest issue is live in boyfriend Rob, who enjoys nothing more than a drink and having the final say. What a demanding, demeaning and out of control excuse of a human being. Simply calling him a pig is an insult to... Well, pigs.
I feel sorry for the kids. As time passes, Shayla gains two new little brothers, who are just as innocent and vulnerable as her. Hopefully Nash and Joe didn't follow their fathers footsteps and have grown up to be decent men.
There were times where I sensed that Shayla was going off the rails, following her mother's erratic behaviour. This is more prominent in the period between adolescence and young adulthood. She's doing nothing more than trying to fit in but tends to veer towards harmful situations. Everyone has a breaking point and Shayla's comes as a tsunami.
I've heard nothing but high praise for Roseghetto and I'm now on the bandwagon. If you're coming in thinking that it's going to be a happy read- you're wrong. There is somewhat of a happy ending where Shayla returns to the old estate, now a newspaper journalist. This couldn't have been possible if not for her beloved grandparents that had such sheer belief and faith in for their little girl. Shayla always had shown the best potential to shape the best possible life for herself and it was overpowingly satisfying to find out that she'd successfully made it out on the other side.
I urge everyone to read this. In fact, I believe that Roseghetto should be added to the secondary English curriculum. There's a lot of teenagers out there that can relate to Shayla and the friends she made along the way.
Another top book of 2024. Yeah, I know. That's two in a row!
5🌟
As someone who has grown up in the Public Housing sector, I have witnessed first hand at how quickly things can escalate- being for example; domestic or neighbourhood disputes, poverty, drug abuse or self harm. Often, those who can't afford other means of accommodation are grouped together in close proximity and that's how all the trouble begins. Believe me- my experiences have left me traumatised.
Shayla's experiences though left me gob smacked. We first meet her as a wee three year old who is already beginning to show the signs of mental and physical trauma. It makes me absolutely sick to the stomach to learn that her own father was sexually abusing her. It's little wonder that she's petrified of Daddy and refuses to spend any time with him.
In the beginning, Shayla's Mum does her best to provide and protect. After escaping her husband's wrath, she manages to create some sort of safe haven for her little girl. Sadly, Lauren continues to selfishly make wrong decisions which causes a never ending cycle of destruction. The biggest issue is live in boyfriend Rob, who enjoys nothing more than a drink and having the final say. What a demanding, demeaning and out of control excuse of a human being. Simply calling him a pig is an insult to... Well, pigs.
I feel sorry for the kids. As time passes, Shayla gains two new little brothers, who are just as innocent and vulnerable as her. Hopefully Nash and Joe didn't follow their fathers footsteps and have grown up to be decent men.
There were times where I sensed that Shayla was going off the rails, following her mother's erratic behaviour. This is more prominent in the period between adolescence and young adulthood. She's doing nothing more than trying to fit in but tends to veer towards harmful situations. Everyone has a breaking point and Shayla's comes as a tsunami.
I've heard nothing but high praise for Roseghetto and I'm now on the bandwagon. If you're coming in thinking that it's going to be a happy read- you're wrong. There is somewhat of a happy ending where Shayla returns to the old estate, now a newspaper journalist. This couldn't have been possible if not for her beloved grandparents that had such sheer belief and faith in for their little girl. Shayla always had shown the best potential to shape the best possible life for herself and it was overpowingly satisfying to find out that she'd successfully made it out on the other side.
I urge everyone to read this. In fact, I believe that Roseghetto should be added to the secondary English curriculum. There's a lot of teenagers out there that can relate to Shayla and the friends she made along the way.
Another top book of 2024. Yeah, I know. That's two in a row!
5🌟
July 2, 2024
Roseghetto is a powerful book and one you won’t forget in a hurry. Because of the topics it touches on such as abuse, public housing and poverty, this is a truly heartbreaking book to read. It’s hard to believe this is a debut novel. Kirsty Jagger has done a phenomenal job in writing this book and I look forward to seeing what she writes next. Highly recommended.
June 22, 2023
The book follows the story of Shayla, who we meet at the start of the book aged three. We follow her story and that of her single mum, Lauren, as they move into the Rosemeadow public housing estate in Sydney’s western suburbs in the 1990s, the site of brutal riots in 2009 which saw parts of the estate closed and demolished. It’s a tough life for Shayla filled with abuse, poverty, fear and uncertainty. But throughout it all, the little girl emerges with a sense of strength and power that gives her story hope.
Although entirely fictional, Jagger based her story on her own experience living in Rosemeadow and therefore gives the book a real insider’s eye and an authenticity that beats with warmth and heart.
Jagger also has an amazing way of giving her story a real strong sense of place, with perfectly placed pop culture references that return you to the pre-mobile phone, pre-streaming 1990s.
Please grab a copy of this book, it’s the best debut I’ve read, and I know it’s one of those rare books I will hold on to and read again. It pulls back the curtain on a too- often maligned community and makes you realise you should never be too quick to judge.
Although entirely fictional, Jagger based her story on her own experience living in Rosemeadow and therefore gives the book a real insider’s eye and an authenticity that beats with warmth and heart.
Jagger also has an amazing way of giving her story a real strong sense of place, with perfectly placed pop culture references that return you to the pre-mobile phone, pre-streaming 1990s.
Please grab a copy of this book, it’s the best debut I’ve read, and I know it’s one of those rare books I will hold on to and read again. It pulls back the curtain on a too- often maligned community and makes you realise you should never be too quick to judge.
July 17, 2023
Thank you UQP Books for sending us a copy to read and review.
The cycle of poverty is well known and documented, the cycle continues for many reasons.
Home environments that do not foster priority on education, bad diet, substances, bad decisions and abuse all contribute to it’s continuation.
Lack of safety, care and support create cracks and widens the economic chasms.
Shayla was born on the wrong side of the tracks and lived a life of fear and neglect as her mother selfishly and continually made the wrong choices.
Targeted at school for ill fitting and worn out clothes and abused by her mothers own abuser she learnt to survive.
Solace coming from her love of books and the unconditional love of her grandparents.
A thread that might illuminate a glimmer of hope.
Intellectually she was blessed and could see the self fulfilling prophecy her own mum endured.
Not all her choices or decisions were smart.
Guidance and encouragement from school established a solid foundation for change.
Meritocracy is not a myth but odds are stacked so highly for anyone trying to better themselves and their lives.
This is an edgy, confronting and articulate expose’ of life in the suburbs where the economically suppressed live and survive the best they can.
Taken inside, the door was opened to the viciousness of the poverty cycle.
Gritty, inspiring and well written.
The cycle of poverty is well known and documented, the cycle continues for many reasons.
Home environments that do not foster priority on education, bad diet, substances, bad decisions and abuse all contribute to it’s continuation.
Lack of safety, care and support create cracks and widens the economic chasms.
Shayla was born on the wrong side of the tracks and lived a life of fear and neglect as her mother selfishly and continually made the wrong choices.
Targeted at school for ill fitting and worn out clothes and abused by her mothers own abuser she learnt to survive.
Solace coming from her love of books and the unconditional love of her grandparents.
A thread that might illuminate a glimmer of hope.
Intellectually she was blessed and could see the self fulfilling prophecy her own mum endured.
Not all her choices or decisions were smart.
Guidance and encouragement from school established a solid foundation for change.
Meritocracy is not a myth but odds are stacked so highly for anyone trying to better themselves and their lives.
This is an edgy, confronting and articulate expose’ of life in the suburbs where the economically suppressed live and survive the best they can.
Taken inside, the door was opened to the viciousness of the poverty cycle.
Gritty, inspiring and well written.
September 8, 2024
Oh my.. I have wanted to read this book since it first came out
Following the story of Shayla as she grows up in public housing with her mother. It is a tough read as it touches on extremely strong themes, such as abuse, drugs and alcoholism and poverty.
I don’t think I will ever forget this one, it is so brilliantly written, so very powerful and completely moved me. Absolutely gut wrenching in parts but still offers hope
I couldn’t put it down, I needed to know Shayla could break the cycle, her determination was unwavering, and her relationship with her Nanna and Pop was comforting
The 90s pop references, along with historical moments added so much to the story
A phenomenal debut novel, and I can’t wait to read what’s next for Kirsty
Following the story of Shayla as she grows up in public housing with her mother. It is a tough read as it touches on extremely strong themes, such as abuse, drugs and alcoholism and poverty.
I don’t think I will ever forget this one, it is so brilliantly written, so very powerful and completely moved me. Absolutely gut wrenching in parts but still offers hope
I couldn’t put it down, I needed to know Shayla could break the cycle, her determination was unwavering, and her relationship with her Nanna and Pop was comforting
The 90s pop references, along with historical moments added so much to the story
A phenomenal debut novel, and I can’t wait to read what’s next for Kirsty
July 18, 2023
I had some big feelings reading this.
It probably wasn’t the best one to take to the boys swimming class last week because I got to page 41 and wanted to simultaneously cry and vomit and hit someone. And then got drawn into a hotly contested conversation about kids’ hair detangling products and the slipperiness of the renovated change rooms.
In Roseghetto, @kirstyjagger has given a voice to the voiceless; delivering a powerful story about breaking the cycle of trauma and abuse.
We begin with an adult Shayla returning to her childhood neighbourhood for a journalism assignment. Which gives such hope; I think this would have been a very different story had you not known this all the way through.
We follow Shayla from the ages four to eighteen. Where for her formative years she resided in a housing commission unit in Rosemeadow. A place glittering in syringes, dotted with hard rubbish and homing a village suffering from addiction, poverty, abuse and struggling mental health. ‘God ain’t coming to Rosemeadow, Shayla.. even the cops don’t wanna come here’.
It is a tumultuously distressing journey but you will always be rooting for Shayla and her fellow gutter kids.
It highlights just how far apart the start line is for so many children. How can you even compete in the education race if there’s no food in your belly or shoes on your feet?
And when you have nothing, giving anything is everything. Half a cheeseburger 🍔😢
If Sean is based on a real person, he a tiny yoda, a Dumbledore - wiser than his years and much more deserving of the lot he was dealt. I hope he found his happily ever after.
This was a story you can only tell if you have lived experience and it’s also a story that everyone should read.
‘Only bad people ask you to keep bad secrets’
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @dmcprmedia, @uqpbooks and @kirstyjagger_author for sending this #gifted book to me, in exchange for an honest review AD-PR.
It probably wasn’t the best one to take to the boys swimming class last week because I got to page 41 and wanted to simultaneously cry and vomit and hit someone. And then got drawn into a hotly contested conversation about kids’ hair detangling products and the slipperiness of the renovated change rooms.
In Roseghetto, @kirstyjagger has given a voice to the voiceless; delivering a powerful story about breaking the cycle of trauma and abuse.
We begin with an adult Shayla returning to her childhood neighbourhood for a journalism assignment. Which gives such hope; I think this would have been a very different story had you not known this all the way through.
We follow Shayla from the ages four to eighteen. Where for her formative years she resided in a housing commission unit in Rosemeadow. A place glittering in syringes, dotted with hard rubbish and homing a village suffering from addiction, poverty, abuse and struggling mental health. ‘God ain’t coming to Rosemeadow, Shayla.. even the cops don’t wanna come here’.
It is a tumultuously distressing journey but you will always be rooting for Shayla and her fellow gutter kids.
It highlights just how far apart the start line is for so many children. How can you even compete in the education race if there’s no food in your belly or shoes on your feet?
And when you have nothing, giving anything is everything. Half a cheeseburger 🍔😢
If Sean is based on a real person, he a tiny yoda, a Dumbledore - wiser than his years and much more deserving of the lot he was dealt. I hope he found his happily ever after.
This was a story you can only tell if you have lived experience and it’s also a story that everyone should read.
‘Only bad people ask you to keep bad secrets’
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to @dmcprmedia, @uqpbooks and @kirstyjagger_author for sending this #gifted book to me, in exchange for an honest review AD-PR.
September 3, 2023
In this coming of age story, we meet Shayla who has returned to Rosemeadow on a journalistic assignment only to find that it's being demolished. Shayla finds herself plagued by the memories of growing up poor in public housing. When kids should be surrounded by love, Shayla along with her gutter kid friends were surrounded by hunger, domestic violence and responsibilities far beyond their years. This is Shayla's story and while it has a positive ending, there were many hard and confronting times she (and the reader) had to go through to get there.
I'm going to begin by saying that my review can't do this book justice. I've sat with it and thought about it for over a week and I just have to encourage you to read it to see what I mean.
Also be aware that this book comes with lots of trigger warnings. They are all listed at the beginning of the book. If you would like me to send you the trigger warnings just message me.
This book is heartbreaking but also heart-warming. It's raw although "fiction". You want to protect Shayla at all costs. You want to slap that mother into reality but also understand how fragile her mother is. Cleverly written with numerous pop culture references of various times, it was also a trip down memory lane in more ways than I can count. Roseghetto shows the complexities of living on the poverty line, the complexities of family, and the complexities of mother daughter relationships.
I honestly can not recommend this book enough! Please, please, please go and read it.
I'm going to begin by saying that my review can't do this book justice. I've sat with it and thought about it for over a week and I just have to encourage you to read it to see what I mean.
Also be aware that this book comes with lots of trigger warnings. They are all listed at the beginning of the book. If you would like me to send you the trigger warnings just message me.
This book is heartbreaking but also heart-warming. It's raw although "fiction". You want to protect Shayla at all costs. You want to slap that mother into reality but also understand how fragile her mother is. Cleverly written with numerous pop culture references of various times, it was also a trip down memory lane in more ways than I can count. Roseghetto shows the complexities of living on the poverty line, the complexities of family, and the complexities of mother daughter relationships.
I honestly can not recommend this book enough! Please, please, please go and read it.
July 13, 2023
Roseghetto is a confrontational, heartbreaking debut novel from journalist Kirsty Jagger which paints in vivid colours the other side of life which is hidden in plain sight in the suburbs of the world, regardless of country, culture or religion.
Set in the suburb of Rosemeadow in the 1970’s and ‘80’s Sydney, Roseghetto is written in simple words, stark in their simplicity, leaving little to the imagination other than what is delivered by the words, but is full of hope, determination and love.
Shayla is the main protagonist and this is her story, as it is the story of so many now and in times past who have grown up in poverty, not just financial hardship but the poverty of the grinding, relentless lack of so many of the social and economic elements that make life tenable.
Commencing work as a Cadet Journalist Shayla is writing an article on Urban planning. The time is 2009 and the Rosemeadow Riot has been headline news, bringing the confrontational reality of poverty, hardship and violence into the homes of every Australian.
Returning to the suburb of her youth to research the current changes, she passes through the familiar territory of dead lawns, broken furniture tumbled in careless confusion, car bodies no longer of use, black bags of rubbished dumped in the street; the detritus of human hopelessness. Nothing has changed.
Arriving at Rosemeadow she is stunned at the massive emptiness of what was once the Housing Commission suburb where she lived. She had no idea, when the New South Wales Minister for Housing said he would not tolerate neighbourhood terrorism, the community needed rebuilding, he meant bulldoze it and start from scratch.
Standing there in the empty spaces of what once was, she is taken back to her childhood as a terrified three-year-old, wetting the bed, to a young girl growing up in a family fuelled with domestic violence, trauma and substance abuse, but amongst it all an intense love for her mother and younger brothers, that never weakened.
Her Grandparents where a lifeline, her love of books her security which fuelled a great desire to one-day move forward with her life; to move away from the violence, brutality and hopelessness that was her life. To be able to try and make a difference no matter how small. To never, ever go back.
Roseghetto tells it like it is; real, painful, tragic and emotionally numbing, as Shayla recounts a life with lessons never forgotten, that leave scars equal to those of War Veterans, but to which society in general chooses to turn a blind eye.
Kirsty Jagger has used a very light and gentle touch to bring this story into the light. Roseghetto is a beautifully written but also an extremely heartbreaking and challenging story. It is well known or said, that some stories need to be told; this one certainly does!
Set in the suburb of Rosemeadow in the 1970’s and ‘80’s Sydney, Roseghetto is written in simple words, stark in their simplicity, leaving little to the imagination other than what is delivered by the words, but is full of hope, determination and love.
Shayla is the main protagonist and this is her story, as it is the story of so many now and in times past who have grown up in poverty, not just financial hardship but the poverty of the grinding, relentless lack of so many of the social and economic elements that make life tenable.
Commencing work as a Cadet Journalist Shayla is writing an article on Urban planning. The time is 2009 and the Rosemeadow Riot has been headline news, bringing the confrontational reality of poverty, hardship and violence into the homes of every Australian.
Returning to the suburb of her youth to research the current changes, she passes through the familiar territory of dead lawns, broken furniture tumbled in careless confusion, car bodies no longer of use, black bags of rubbished dumped in the street; the detritus of human hopelessness. Nothing has changed.
Arriving at Rosemeadow she is stunned at the massive emptiness of what was once the Housing Commission suburb where she lived. She had no idea, when the New South Wales Minister for Housing said he would not tolerate neighbourhood terrorism, the community needed rebuilding, he meant bulldoze it and start from scratch.
Standing there in the empty spaces of what once was, she is taken back to her childhood as a terrified three-year-old, wetting the bed, to a young girl growing up in a family fuelled with domestic violence, trauma and substance abuse, but amongst it all an intense love for her mother and younger brothers, that never weakened.
Her Grandparents where a lifeline, her love of books her security which fuelled a great desire to one-day move forward with her life; to move away from the violence, brutality and hopelessness that was her life. To be able to try and make a difference no matter how small. To never, ever go back.
Roseghetto tells it like it is; real, painful, tragic and emotionally numbing, as Shayla recounts a life with lessons never forgotten, that leave scars equal to those of War Veterans, but to which society in general chooses to turn a blind eye.
Kirsty Jagger has used a very light and gentle touch to bring this story into the light. Roseghetto is a beautifully written but also an extremely heartbreaking and challenging story. It is well known or said, that some stories need to be told; this one certainly does!
July 11, 2023
If you are looking for a heart wrenching heavy read with riveting writing, then this is it.
Shayla is on a newspaper assignment when she returns to the public housing estate where she grew up and finds it demolished. The locals have been evicted, their homes erased, their stories too. Standing among the rubble of Rosemeadow, Shayla is assailed by her memories of living there. The bad secret Daddy asked her to keep. Mummy rekindling a dangerous romance. Making friends with ‘the gutter kids’.
✨
Told in chapters from the past, Shayla’s story begins as a young girl navigating through life in an abusive household, poverty, child of divorce, feeling unwanted and the uncertainty she lives with day to day. With drugs, violence and addiction all around her including the weekly visits by the police to her street, Shayla turns to her love of reading to escape and eventually turning to self harm.
Kirsty writes a story, as if you are truly living it. My heart hurt for Shayla and all she went through. There were moments were you wanted to hug her, or steal her away and give her a better life.
This isn’t a happy book by any means. It actually made me think of my own childhood with my immigrant parents and even though we didn’t have a lot at all, I was still very blessed compared to what Shayla went through. The nostalgia with the mentions of pop culture from the 1990’s will remind every Aussie of their childhood.
#Roseghetto reads almost like an autobiography and the author has based the book on her own experiences. Kirsty sheds light on a topic that a lot of people turn a blind eye to and the way she brings awareness to it, is raw and honest regardless of whether it’s fiction or not. It’s real life. 🥺
I can’t believe this is a debut novel. As much as it made me sad, this is one book that I’ll remember for a very long time. 🫶🏻
An incredible read.
Shayla is on a newspaper assignment when she returns to the public housing estate where she grew up and finds it demolished. The locals have been evicted, their homes erased, their stories too. Standing among the rubble of Rosemeadow, Shayla is assailed by her memories of living there. The bad secret Daddy asked her to keep. Mummy rekindling a dangerous romance. Making friends with ‘the gutter kids’.
✨
Told in chapters from the past, Shayla’s story begins as a young girl navigating through life in an abusive household, poverty, child of divorce, feeling unwanted and the uncertainty she lives with day to day. With drugs, violence and addiction all around her including the weekly visits by the police to her street, Shayla turns to her love of reading to escape and eventually turning to self harm.
Kirsty writes a story, as if you are truly living it. My heart hurt for Shayla and all she went through. There were moments were you wanted to hug her, or steal her away and give her a better life.
This isn’t a happy book by any means. It actually made me think of my own childhood with my immigrant parents and even though we didn’t have a lot at all, I was still very blessed compared to what Shayla went through. The nostalgia with the mentions of pop culture from the 1990’s will remind every Aussie of their childhood.
#Roseghetto reads almost like an autobiography and the author has based the book on her own experiences. Kirsty sheds light on a topic that a lot of people turn a blind eye to and the way she brings awareness to it, is raw and honest regardless of whether it’s fiction or not. It’s real life. 🥺
I can’t believe this is a debut novel. As much as it made me sad, this is one book that I’ll remember for a very long time. 🫶🏻
An incredible read.
July 29, 2023
- thanks to @uqpbooks and @dmcprmedia for my #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review and for inviting me to be a part of the Bookstagram tour
I found out about the publication of Roseghetto quite a while ago, so I requested a review copy pretty early on, hoping the reading gods would hear my prayers... and they did.
I guess the reading gods are a bit more benevolent than the others.
I did not grow up in Australia. I moved here when I was 20 years old, so it took me years to grasp the general prejudice against certain areas of Sydney, especially the western area. I still do not get it. I have lived in Western Sydney since I migrated, and I have nothing but utter love for this place. Therefore, when I heard about Roseghetto, I knew I could not pass the opportunity to learn more about why certain geographical areas of Sydney are disadvantaged while others are simply not.
For anyone on the fence about picking up this book, please do. I urge readers to give Roseghetto a try for many reasons, but mainly for the superbly heartbreaking and eye-opening cultural exploration of Sydney.
However, this novel is emotionally brutal: taxing and highly challenging to read. I celebrate Kirsty's writing skills in including life-shattering themes with utter respect and authenticity and creating characters embedded in humanity. I also genuinely appreciate the vulnerability and talent necessary to create a story that reflects realities that are easy to ignore yet translate directly into life and death for people. We are all responsible for the Shaylas of this world.
There are trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel for anyone in doubt regarding sensitivities. If readers can handle those, please make room for Roseghetto on your shelves. It is an imperative read.
If I have not been convincing enough so far, I am happy to quit my reviewing career right here, right now.
Overall, Roseghetto is a must-read novel that reflects the world we live in, without filters. I do not know what motivates other readers to read, but I read, hoping to find stories like this one.
I found out about the publication of Roseghetto quite a while ago, so I requested a review copy pretty early on, hoping the reading gods would hear my prayers... and they did.
I guess the reading gods are a bit more benevolent than the others.
I did not grow up in Australia. I moved here when I was 20 years old, so it took me years to grasp the general prejudice against certain areas of Sydney, especially the western area. I still do not get it. I have lived in Western Sydney since I migrated, and I have nothing but utter love for this place. Therefore, when I heard about Roseghetto, I knew I could not pass the opportunity to learn more about why certain geographical areas of Sydney are disadvantaged while others are simply not.
For anyone on the fence about picking up this book, please do. I urge readers to give Roseghetto a try for many reasons, but mainly for the superbly heartbreaking and eye-opening cultural exploration of Sydney.
However, this novel is emotionally brutal: taxing and highly challenging to read. I celebrate Kirsty's writing skills in including life-shattering themes with utter respect and authenticity and creating characters embedded in humanity. I also genuinely appreciate the vulnerability and talent necessary to create a story that reflects realities that are easy to ignore yet translate directly into life and death for people. We are all responsible for the Shaylas of this world.
There are trigger warnings at the beginning of the novel for anyone in doubt regarding sensitivities. If readers can handle those, please make room for Roseghetto on your shelves. It is an imperative read.
If I have not been convincing enough so far, I am happy to quit my reviewing career right here, right now.
Overall, Roseghetto is a must-read novel that reflects the world we live in, without filters. I do not know what motivates other readers to read, but I read, hoping to find stories like this one.
July 14, 2023
This book has ripped my heart in two. What a beautiful voice Kirsty gave Shayla. This is without a doubt one of the saddest books I’ve ever read. I had to stop reading twice as I was sobbing and could no longer see the words. I was reluctant to finish as I didn’t want the book to end. Such a powerful read!
July 25, 2023
Kirsty Jagger’s debut novel is a confronting story about growing up in the worst of circumstances, and how violence and poverty can happen to anyone. Full Review at Newtown Review of Books.
July 26, 2023
I couldn’t put the book down! Such a heart breaking story and to think it’s based on real events 😔 it speaks of vicious cycle of abuse, dependency but the triumph of resilience and standing up for one’s self! I really hope the landscape of the support is wider today for victims of violence perpetrated by what one calls family than it was then 😞
March 4, 2024
Wow. What a book. This will stay with me for a very long time. It’s brutal and raw and yet shows love in its purest form. The love of a Poppy and Nana for their beautiful Shayla. Tears flowed as I smiled to the end.
August 7, 2023
I loved this book so much I started reading it Saturday night and was still reading at 2am. I woke up Sunday morning and finished the book by lunch time.
It was truly a remarkable read. The story is sad but inspiring. I loved the story. The content is heavy. But it is worth the read.
It was truly a remarkable read. The story is sad but inspiring. I loved the story. The content is heavy. But it is worth the read.
May 10, 2024
At times frustrating, anger inducing and Heartbreaking, Roseghetto is a powerful story tackling difficult subject matters with a brilliant writing style.
April 9, 2025
This book is not fiction.
I had the enormous privilege of living for 10 years in Campbelltown, just across the suburb from Westminster Way and the beautiful Rosemeadow. The places and events that take place in this book are thoroughly familiar and while extraordinary, they’re actually totally normal the people who lived in these treasured suburbs.
I met Shayla and Lauren, Rob & the boys, Nanna and Pop, a hundred times. If you’ve just met them for the first time, know that they have not exaggerated their story.
“Love actually isn’t meant to hurt. And it’s not more real the more it hurts. In fact, it’s probably quite the opposite.”
I had the enormous privilege of living for 10 years in Campbelltown, just across the suburb from Westminster Way and the beautiful Rosemeadow. The places and events that take place in this book are thoroughly familiar and while extraordinary, they’re actually totally normal the people who lived in these treasured suburbs.
I met Shayla and Lauren, Rob & the boys, Nanna and Pop, a hundred times. If you’ve just met them for the first time, know that they have not exaggerated their story.
“Love actually isn’t meant to hurt. And it’s not more real the more it hurts. In fact, it’s probably quite the opposite.”
July 3, 2023
Incredible from start to finish. The themes are universal and ends perfectly
August 21, 2023
Really enjoyed the story telling. The words took you to the heart of western Sydney. You could visualise what the suburbs looked like. Having driven through many of them in the 80’s and 90’s at the time this story is set.
The book was like being a voyeur in the lives of Shalya, her family and friends. The realistic depiction of what life was like in housing commission homes, and the low social economic living standards. What Shalya lived through and survived, being the parent for her brothers and being able to be a high achiever and grab her goals of being a writer. Her strength and resilience to not give up, when that would have been an easier pathway.
Kristy has used the voice of Shayla very well from the four-year-old through to the 18-year-old teenager and then as an adult. I could hear my teenager self behaving and speaking the same. It brought back thought of my younger self. For a book to do this to the reader is amazing.
I could relate to a lot of what of this story talked about and described. I’m would be bout the age of Shayla’s mother so the reference of the music of the era was great. Also loved the reference to the stories and popular books.
I am looking forward to Kirsty’s next book.
The book was like being a voyeur in the lives of Shalya, her family and friends. The realistic depiction of what life was like in housing commission homes, and the low social economic living standards. What Shalya lived through and survived, being the parent for her brothers and being able to be a high achiever and grab her goals of being a writer. Her strength and resilience to not give up, when that would have been an easier pathway.
Kristy has used the voice of Shayla very well from the four-year-old through to the 18-year-old teenager and then as an adult. I could hear my teenager self behaving and speaking the same. It brought back thought of my younger self. For a book to do this to the reader is amazing.
I could relate to a lot of what of this story talked about and described. I’m would be bout the age of Shayla’s mother so the reference of the music of the era was great. Also loved the reference to the stories and popular books.
I am looking forward to Kirsty’s next book.
October 8, 2023
Such a powerful read about growing up in an Australian housing commission estate. Definitely gave me the Angela’s Ashes feels except this is Australia in the 2000s. It definitely felt like Shayla hungry, vulnerable and powerless throughout the novel. The cycle of poverty is here, inter generational trauma is here, substance abuse and abuse is here. It certainly isn’t a pleasant read but it’s just so important. I’m so very glad I read it.
August 24, 2023
Beautiful book. Characters drawn so beautifully and are so believable.
February 23, 2024
While I was whole-heartedly captivated by the story, I know I would have appreciated it more at age 15 or 16. Roseghetto is definitely penned for younger readers because, as much as I loved her, I just found the ever-so-perfect Shayla stole some of the realism from this tale. That whole role-reversal thing between Shayla and the grown-ups just started way too early. And the dialogue between characters often felt forged.
That said, Roseghetto succeeded in evoking a lot of emotion from this reader – anger and frustration with Lauren and Rob (in addition to an intense dislike for them both), anger and sadness and frustration for Shayla and the other kids enduring role models that should never be allowed to parent, and all of those emotions again for a system that is broken and a cycle that it seems will never be.
Thank goodness a handful, like Shayla, make it out. 3.5 stars
That said, Roseghetto succeeded in evoking a lot of emotion from this reader – anger and frustration with Lauren and Rob (in addition to an intense dislike for them both), anger and sadness and frustration for Shayla and the other kids enduring role models that should never be allowed to parent, and all of those emotions again for a system that is broken and a cycle that it seems will never be.
Thank goodness a handful, like Shayla, make it out. 3.5 stars
January 18, 2024
While I did enjoy this read and finished it very quickly, it was very focused on Shayla’s past, I would have loved to have a few more chapters on how her childhood affected her adult life and her ambitions. It was really only the prologue and epilogue that touched on this and I wanted more! Well worth reading, despite being very sad subject matter, it really makes you think about how tough some children and families have it. I particularly loved how despite the many challenges and hardships suffered, the protagonist was still full of hope and she had me cheering her on every step of the way.
September 25, 2023
A brilliantly written book with characters that jump off the page and stay with you after finishing reading.
Shayla's voice as narrator from a young child learning to speak, to an 18 year old adult, was a great choice from the author. It gave the story a unique way of capturing some horrific events, and it did not at all feel exploitative in the early chapters, being very necessary to the story. Shayla and her Mum's relationship is so central to the story, and so very real spared no punches.
I was born in this area of South West Sydney, and although we moved away when I was 5, there are many streets and places familiar to me. I could picture myself back on these streets, playing with the gutter kids.
The world is all the better for being able to have stories like this published and told.
Shayla's voice as narrator from a young child learning to speak, to an 18 year old adult, was a great choice from the author. It gave the story a unique way of capturing some horrific events, and it did not at all feel exploitative in the early chapters, being very necessary to the story. Shayla and her Mum's relationship is so central to the story, and so very real spared no punches.
I was born in this area of South West Sydney, and although we moved away when I was 5, there are many streets and places familiar to me. I could picture myself back on these streets, playing with the gutter kids.
The world is all the better for being able to have stories like this published and told.
February 12, 2024
Hooley dooley.
Roseghetto is one of those books that got me out of a reading slump. It is simply phenomenal - particularly given that it is Kirsty Jagger’s debut novel.
Roseghetto had me smiling at the perfect nods to 90’s nostalgia (shout out to the McDonald’s Sports Awards with the free cheeseburger - memories!) right before physically slapping myself on the forehead after enduring more abuse with Shayla due to the constant poor decision-making (to put it lightly) by the adults in her life.
This is one of those books that makes you reflect on your own childhood, and for me, how lucky I was. Growing up in a middle-class family with parents who loved and protected me - I hit the jackpot. Roseghetto shines a light on those children who grow up underprivileged through no fault of their own, who fight to get through each day, even if just to fill their bellies with food. It highlights how some in our society start ten steps behind everyone else, but this powerful novel shows Shayla’s determination to come out the other side, despite all odds being against her.
So beautifully written, particularly when touching on incredibly difficult subjects, Roseghetto will stay with me forever.
I truly believe this story will save someone who sees parts of themselves in Shayla. It will show them there can be light at the end of the tunnel. For that, Kirsty, you should be so proud.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Roseghetto is one of those books that got me out of a reading slump. It is simply phenomenal - particularly given that it is Kirsty Jagger’s debut novel.
Roseghetto had me smiling at the perfect nods to 90’s nostalgia (shout out to the McDonald’s Sports Awards with the free cheeseburger - memories!) right before physically slapping myself on the forehead after enduring more abuse with Shayla due to the constant poor decision-making (to put it lightly) by the adults in her life.
This is one of those books that makes you reflect on your own childhood, and for me, how lucky I was. Growing up in a middle-class family with parents who loved and protected me - I hit the jackpot. Roseghetto shines a light on those children who grow up underprivileged through no fault of their own, who fight to get through each day, even if just to fill their bellies with food. It highlights how some in our society start ten steps behind everyone else, but this powerful novel shows Shayla’s determination to come out the other side, despite all odds being against her.
So beautifully written, particularly when touching on incredibly difficult subjects, Roseghetto will stay with me forever.
I truly believe this story will save someone who sees parts of themselves in Shayla. It will show them there can be light at the end of the tunnel. For that, Kirsty, you should be so proud.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
February 9, 2024
4.5 stars.
“Nothing much hurts
anymore. This place has made me tough, and not just the bottoms
of my feet.”
On a newspaper assignment, Shayla returned to the public housing estate where she grew up, only to find it demolished. Shayla grew up in Rosemeadow, where her Daddy asked her to keep a bad secret, and her Mummy was rekindling a dangerous romance. Surrounded by poverty and domestic violence, Shayla found her escape in reading, determined to find her voice to tell her stories as she grew up.
Ohh this book broke my heart. I had to stop to grab tissues a few times. It was rough, raw and unfortunately had a realistic setting. I couldn’t help but wonder how many challenges Shayla had to go through before they broke her completely?
By the end of the book, I was completely attached to Shayla. I wanted her to have all the success in the world. I loved her relationship with Pop and Pop’s financial education.
This was a powerful, heartfelt debut. I loved all the references to books, the 90s music and pop culture throughout. This was a book that’d stay with me for a long time. I can’t wait to see (and support) more big things coming from Kirsty.
(Thanks to DMCPR Media and UQP for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)
See my bookstagram review.
“Nothing much hurts
anymore. This place has made me tough, and not just the bottoms
of my feet.”
On a newspaper assignment, Shayla returned to the public housing estate where she grew up, only to find it demolished. Shayla grew up in Rosemeadow, where her Daddy asked her to keep a bad secret, and her Mummy was rekindling a dangerous romance. Surrounded by poverty and domestic violence, Shayla found her escape in reading, determined to find her voice to tell her stories as she grew up.
Ohh this book broke my heart. I had to stop to grab tissues a few times. It was rough, raw and unfortunately had a realistic setting. I couldn’t help but wonder how many challenges Shayla had to go through before they broke her completely?
By the end of the book, I was completely attached to Shayla. I wanted her to have all the success in the world. I loved her relationship with Pop and Pop’s financial education.
This was a powerful, heartfelt debut. I loved all the references to books, the 90s music and pop culture throughout. This was a book that’d stay with me for a long time. I can’t wait to see (and support) more big things coming from Kirsty.
(Thanks to DMCPR Media and UQP for a gifted copy in exchange for an honest review)
See my bookstagram review.
June 4, 2025
This is a book that I'll never forget or stop recommending. There was so much to love about it. I will start with the main character of Shayla. I just wanted to give her a big hug and protect her. At times it was confronting to read about what was happening to her. In my mind I was urging her to go and live with her nan and pop. Next up is the timeline. As someone who grew up in the 1980's and 1990's I loved the mention of the music, tv shows and even Tabu perfume! Following on the setting - I grew up in Southwestern Sydney, you mentioned lots of places I used to visit. Finally - the authors writing style. This was honest, raw and confronting. It has a satisfying ending to top it off. I can't believe this is a debut! Congratulations on an outstanding book. This was such an emotional read for me, and I will never forget it. Absolutely brilliant.
October 27, 2023
Oh this was EPIC!! Best book of the year! 5 stars isn't enough!
It made my heart race, I actually cried and there would have been steam coming out my ears because of how mad I was with the characters.
An absolute MUST READ!
It made my heart race, I actually cried and there would have been steam coming out my ears because of how mad I was with the characters.
An absolute MUST READ!
November 17, 2023
I could not put this book down. The beginning is like watching a car crash but you can’t look away. It’s a sad and confronting story but so well written. Definitely one of the most memorable books I’ve read.
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