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Shutterspeed
Living alone with his silent father and the shadow cast by his long-dead mother, Dustin waits, wanting only to slip under the radar and survive what's left of high school and through his work at the photo lab. Then one Sunday, a single photo gets stuck in the processor and it changes everything: the bike in the picture is decent--a Ducati Monster 620, cherry red--and the woman, Terri Pavish, beside it is striking too. What begins then as an innocent curiosity in her photography, her freedom, her speed, becomes something else and the past swings full-circle to haunt him.
160 pages, ebook
First published July 1, 2008
1 person is currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
A.J. Betts
8 books264 followersI'm a Perth-based writer who writes realistic fiction for teenagers (14+) but adults enjoy them too. I'm also an English teacher, poet, writer of non-fiction texts, presenter and reader.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
April 6, 2019
Aussie Reader Autumn Challenge 2019: Read books with titles that start with the word LEAVES
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars.
Shutterspeed is a YA contemporary novel set in Perth and is written by Aussie Author/English teacher AJ Betts. This book (a debut YA novel) was released in 2008 and still feels current and authentic over a decade later. She can write teenagers!
There were elements of this book that I really liked. I loved the format in terms of reverse chapters (Chapter 1 is set in the present and is as you would expect at the start of the book. The next page has the word REWIND and then the next Chapter is Chapter 36 and that is in the past and as each chapter counts down, the lead character moves closer and closer to the present. I love the counting down of chapters and amazed more authors don't use this technique especially when having a time jump element.
My biggest issue with this book is that it was too short (150 pages) to actually delve into the underlying (mental health?) issues and to be honest I was and am still confused about events in this book - from his obsession with the woman on the bike to the whole ending. I kind of get the whole escapism from dealing with reality and that is shown constantly through out with his movie watching and with his obsession with the woman on the bike to the point that he missed those in front of him who actually loved him and mattered (even if they were just photos that were in front of him the whole time).....but I am just lacking that sense of closure at the end of the book from how he got from Chapter 2 to Chapter 1. That was a massive jump in character development and probably the most unrealistic aspect of the whole story.
Some aspects of this story become clearer as time progresses and so while I finished the book and went WTF (and would have 1 star'd it), pondering the story for half a day makes me start to see the cleverness and subtlety woven into each scene and has me hours later going..."Oh! I see now what that meant". So with time (and pondering) this rating may just continue to rise :-)
Actual Rating: 3.5 Stars.
Shutterspeed is a YA contemporary novel set in Perth and is written by Aussie Author/English teacher AJ Betts. This book (a debut YA novel) was released in 2008 and still feels current and authentic over a decade later. She can write teenagers!
There were elements of this book that I really liked. I loved the format in terms of reverse chapters (Chapter 1 is set in the present and is as you would expect at the start of the book. The next page has the word REWIND and then the next Chapter is Chapter 36 and that is in the past and as each chapter counts down, the lead character moves closer and closer to the present. I love the counting down of chapters and amazed more authors don't use this technique especially when having a time jump element.
My biggest issue with this book is that it was too short (150 pages) to actually delve into the underlying (mental health?) issues and to be honest I was and am still confused about events in this book - from his obsession with the woman on the bike to the whole ending. I kind of get the whole escapism from dealing with reality and that is shown constantly through out with his movie watching and with his obsession with the woman on the bike to the point that he missed those in front of him who actually loved him and mattered (even if they were just photos that were in front of him the whole time).....but I am just lacking that sense of closure at the end of the book from how he got from Chapter 2 to Chapter 1. That was a massive jump in character development and probably the most unrealistic aspect of the whole story.
Some aspects of this story become clearer as time progresses and so while I finished the book and went WTF (and would have 1 star'd it), pondering the story for half a day makes me start to see the cleverness and subtlety woven into each scene and has me hours later going..."Oh! I see now what that meant". So with time (and pondering) this rating may just continue to rise :-)
December 2, 2012
Shutterspeed was a strange story.
It seemed extremely slow, then extremely fast, and then at normal pacing. I suppose it suited the story: I’m a little astonished as to how it worked. The author managed to pull it off.
The entire concept of the story was beautiful, but a little rushed. I’m sure that, if the author made it into a bigger novel, it’d be among my favourites. A little suspenseful, mysterious and strangely heartbreaking. I couldn’t give it more than three stars, though, because it felt rushed.
As a side-note, I thought the author was male. To my surprise, she was female. I would’ve never guessed: she nails the voice of a teenage boy perfectly.
There isn’t much else to say. But I’ll have an eye out for this author.
It seemed extremely slow, then extremely fast, and then at normal pacing. I suppose it suited the story: I’m a little astonished as to how it worked. The author managed to pull it off.
The entire concept of the story was beautiful, but a little rushed. I’m sure that, if the author made it into a bigger novel, it’d be among my favourites. A little suspenseful, mysterious and strangely heartbreaking. I couldn’t give it more than three stars, though, because it felt rushed.
As a side-note, I thought the author was male. To my surprise, she was female. I would’ve never guessed: she nails the voice of a teenage boy perfectly.
There isn’t much else to say. But I’ll have an eye out for this author.
March 17, 2013
In A Nutshell: ShutterSpeed is the story of a teenage boy looking for answers but who gets caught up in a frantic obsession that forces him to take a step back and pay attention to the realities of his life. Personal boundaries, mental health and adolescent friendships are highlighted in this psychological teenage drama set in Western Australia.
For my full review, please visit my blog: http://www.thetalescompendium.com/201...
For my full review, please visit my blog: http://www.thetalescompendium.com/201...
June 12, 2017
Dustin works in photography and has a passion for speed, along with his friend Nugget, the two enjoy biking as Nugget's family are raised to do so.
When Dustin finds a photo of a girl posing by a motorbike in his dad's photography shop, he's intrigued to find out who it is posing in the photo and later when she comes into the shop is revealed she works for the Herald paper as a reporter, Terri Lavish.
At his school he works with his friend Jasmine on a photography project in which they have to take shots of people capturing a moment in time for their project.
The end made me wonder if he was dreaming the future and if it was reminiscent of his mum's death. Even though she suffered depression, Jasmine never wanted Nugget but wanted to date Justin while he effectively stalked Terri.
It was an intriguing book and made me wonder about the core context more and feel the storyline with his mum could've been stronger for us to really understand the story development.
When Dustin finds a photo of a girl posing by a motorbike in his dad's photography shop, he's intrigued to find out who it is posing in the photo and later when she comes into the shop is revealed she works for the Herald paper as a reporter, Terri Lavish.
At his school he works with his friend Jasmine on a photography project in which they have to take shots of people capturing a moment in time for their project.
The end made me wonder if he was dreaming the future and if it was reminiscent of his mum's death. Even though she suffered depression, Jasmine never wanted Nugget but wanted to date Justin while he effectively stalked Terri.
It was an intriguing book and made me wonder about the core context more and feel the storyline with his mum could've been stronger for us to really understand the story development.
February 21, 2021
Didn't expect to be quite so shattered by this book. Great descriptions of the landscapes of the Western suburbs, melancholy and creepy.
March 20, 2016
I was a little bit disappointed with this book because I like Zac & Mia so much. The main character is Dustin, a senior in high school who lives with his single father and works in the photograph film processing store that his father owns. I guess my main problem with the book is that I never really found Dustin to be a likeable character and didn't understand his motivations for a lot of his actions. There is an explanation hinted at towards the end of the story but I personally would have wanted to see that explanation explored a bit more. I feel like A.J. Betts is trying to create a real teenager character but parts of the character and story just didn't work for me or interest me enough.
There are two aspects of the book that I did quite like. The first is the structure of the book. Chapter one is the end of the story and then the reader is rewinded to chapter 36 where the book then counts down to chapter 2. Dustin has a recurring dream about a car accident but he can't clearly see who the female casualty is (there are three options created of who it could be). I forgot throughout the story that I had actually been given the ending in the first chapter and there came a point in the story where I re-read the first chapter and then knew how the rest of the story was going to play out.
The other aspect of the book I like is the setting. I really appreciated the descriptions of Fremantle, Western Australia and its surrounding suburbs. I always like reading descriptions of areas of Perth that I know well and reading how other people see them.
Overall, in my opinion, there are much stronger young adult novels out there to read including later novels by A.J. Betts herself.
There are two aspects of the book that I did quite like. The first is the structure of the book. Chapter one is the end of the story and then the reader is rewinded to chapter 36 where the book then counts down to chapter 2. Dustin has a recurring dream about a car accident but he can't clearly see who the female casualty is (there are three options created of who it could be). I forgot throughout the story that I had actually been given the ending in the first chapter and there came a point in the story where I re-read the first chapter and then knew how the rest of the story was going to play out.
The other aspect of the book I like is the setting. I really appreciated the descriptions of Fremantle, Western Australia and its surrounding suburbs. I always like reading descriptions of areas of Perth that I know well and reading how other people see them.
Overall, in my opinion, there are much stronger young adult novels out there to read including later novels by A.J. Betts herself.
March 13, 2010
YA. All Dustin wants is to survive the rest of high school & get through dreary hours working at his father's photo lab. When a photo of a young woman on a red Ducati motorbike gets stuck in the processor, Dustin's curiosity in the woman and her life takes him down a perilous road to a misguided way of being. This well-crafted novella is written with insight and compassion and doesn't once hold back from the raw and shocking events of a fragile adolescence.
March 22, 2014
Perhaps my favourite short novel. Betts writes from the male teenager point of view flawlessly, and I felt that I could really connect with him. Also love the way in which she illustrates the setting - this is a piece of art!
It was great studying this book in school, and as a bonus we got to talk to Betts about the book, as well as getting our copies signed.
It was great studying this book in school, and as a bonus we got to talk to Betts about the book, as well as getting our copies signed.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews