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Closed, Stranger
Hard-hitting and potentially controversial young adult drama from this award-winning author, about adoption and the tragic consequences which follow when the past intrudes. It is a controversial, exquisitely written novel about the sparkle of friendship, first love and the memories that linger for a lifetime.
- GenresYoung Adult
Paperback
First published September 17, 2004
1 person is currently reading
26 people want to read
About the author
Kate De Goldi
28 books72 followersKate De Goldi is a full-time writer who grew up in Christchurch and now lives in Wellington. Her first book was for adults: called like you, really, it was published under the name Kate Flannery, and gave a series of interlinked short stories about the women in a Catholic family. Since then she has won numerous awards and accolades for her fiction, including the American Express and Katherine Mansfield Awards for short stories, and the overall Children’s Book Award in 1997 for her young adult novel Sanctuary.
In 2000, her novel about adoption, Closed, Stranger won an Honour Award in the New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards, and in 2001, Kate was made an Arts Foundation Laureate. Her book Clubs, illustrated by Jacqui Colley, won the picture book category of the New Zealand Post Children’s and Young Adult Awards in 2005; that year it also won the overall book of the year, and it also gained the Russell Clark Award at the LIANZA Book Awards.
Kate’s most recent novel, The 10PM Question (2008), won Book of the Year and Best Young Adult fiction at the 2009 New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards. It was also runner-up in the Fiction category at the Montana NZ Book Awards 2009, at which it won the Readers' Choice Award. It was a finalist in the LIANZA Children's Book Awards for the Esther Glen Award, and was shortlisted for the Nielson BookData NZ Booksellers' Choice Award.
The 10PM Question has been selected to appear in the prestigious international publication The White Ravens 2009 and with sales of over 14,000 copies the book now wears a Silver Premier NZ Bestseller sticker and remains at No. 1 on the NZ Bestsellers List (week ending 22 August 2009). The rights have been sold to Allen & Unwin Publishers in Australia, and Dutch and German rights have also been sold. It is due to be published in North America later this year.
Kate is also very well known as an astute and energetic book reviewer for radio and television.
In 2000, her novel about adoption, Closed, Stranger won an Honour Award in the New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards, and in 2001, Kate was made an Arts Foundation Laureate. Her book Clubs, illustrated by Jacqui Colley, won the picture book category of the New Zealand Post Children’s and Young Adult Awards in 2005; that year it also won the overall book of the year, and it also gained the Russell Clark Award at the LIANZA Book Awards.
Kate’s most recent novel, The 10PM Question (2008), won Book of the Year and Best Young Adult fiction at the 2009 New Zealand Post Children and Young Adults' Book Awards. It was also runner-up in the Fiction category at the Montana NZ Book Awards 2009, at which it won the Readers' Choice Award. It was a finalist in the LIANZA Children's Book Awards for the Esther Glen Award, and was shortlisted for the Nielson BookData NZ Booksellers' Choice Award.
The 10PM Question has been selected to appear in the prestigious international publication The White Ravens 2009 and with sales of over 14,000 copies the book now wears a Silver Premier NZ Bestseller sticker and remains at No. 1 on the NZ Bestsellers List (week ending 22 August 2009). The rights have been sold to Allen & Unwin Publishers in Australia, and Dutch and German rights have also been sold. It is due to be published in North America later this year.
Kate is also very well known as an astute and energetic book reviewer for radio and television.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 7, 2010
A story of two boys, best friends, in their first year of university. This book was too sad to enjoy dealing with incest, drugs and drugged driving, divorce and messy friendships.
February 10, 2018
Wow. What a read.
This book is like being in a speeding car, foreseeing the crash that's about to happen, and not being able to do anything about it but just sit in the car and await the pain that will inevitably befall you.
Despite the unusual relationship depicted between Westie and his mom, I think the central point is the friendship between the two boys. If anything, this book is a reminder that it's important to vocalise the anger and insecurities you hide within yourself so that they don't grow up to be a larger-than-life monster that screw up your life beyond belief.
I'm sure there are thousands of relationships like the two boys'. People who interact with each other in an easy, familiarly choreographed dance that never actually tackles the real issues underneath. Obviously, there are a lot of particular factors in this story that brings everything to a boiling point, but as I was reading it, I couldn't help thinking that so much of the catastrophic consequences could have been avoided through constant, healthy communication. But I guess that's always the case with stories like this. It's only after the event that you look back and go "If only..."
This book is like being in a speeding car, foreseeing the crash that's about to happen, and not being able to do anything about it but just sit in the car and await the pain that will inevitably befall you.
Despite the unusual relationship depicted between Westie and his mom, I think the central point is the friendship between the two boys. If anything, this book is a reminder that it's important to vocalise the anger and insecurities you hide within yourself so that they don't grow up to be a larger-than-life monster that screw up your life beyond belief.
I'm sure there are thousands of relationships like the two boys'. People who interact with each other in an easy, familiarly choreographed dance that never actually tackles the real issues underneath. Obviously, there are a lot of particular factors in this story that brings everything to a boiling point, but as I was reading it, I couldn't help thinking that so much of the catastrophic consequences could have been avoided through constant, healthy communication. But I guess that's always the case with stories like this. It's only after the event that you look back and go "If only..."
February 24, 2018
Hard hitting and controversial are apt descriptions. There is drugs, swearing, incest, and suicide. The novel tells the story of two friends, Max and Westie. Westie meets Vicki, Max meets Meredith. All is well until it is not. The consequences for the friendship are devastating.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews