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Sign
A captivating novel full of strength, quiet courage and the struggle to overcome silence.
Sam is a young boy recovering from an operation that has left him unable to speak ever again. He lives with his mother and sister Katie, all dutifully cared for by Aunt Dettie, their father's sister, who believes herself sympathetic to his pain.
Their father abandoned the family some time ago, but when their mother begins to date again, Aunt Dettie reacts very badly.
After an unexpected phone call, Aunt Dettie packs Sam and Katie into the backseat of her car and tells them that she's taking them to Perth to be reunited with their father.
As Dettie drives the children across Australia in the middle of a sweltering and dangerous bushfire season, her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, and the children begin to realise that there is something very wrong.
Voiceless, Sam can only watch helplessly as the family trip becomes a smoke-filled nightmare.
Sam is a young boy recovering from an operation that has left him unable to speak ever again. He lives with his mother and sister Katie, all dutifully cared for by Aunt Dettie, their father's sister, who believes herself sympathetic to his pain.
Their father abandoned the family some time ago, but when their mother begins to date again, Aunt Dettie reacts very badly.
After an unexpected phone call, Aunt Dettie packs Sam and Katie into the backseat of her car and tells them that she's taking them to Perth to be reunited with their father.
As Dettie drives the children across Australia in the middle of a sweltering and dangerous bushfire season, her behaviour becomes increasingly erratic, and the children begin to realise that there is something very wrong.
Voiceless, Sam can only watch helplessly as the family trip becomes a smoke-filled nightmare.
- GenresFiction
339 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2018
6 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
February 24, 2018
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
4.5 stars
One of Australia’s roll call of honour in the literature field is the coveted Australian/Vogel Literary Award. In 2015, Colin Dray’s debut novel, Sign, was shortlisted. It has since made the path to publication and it is an assured one at that. Sign is an arresting novel that is filled with moments of heroism, personal strength and determination. It is about finding your way and fighting the bonds of family.
Sign is the incredible and moving story of a young boy named Sam. This amazing eleven year old boy is a character filled with much courage and gentle strength. Sam has recently undergone life saving surgery in an attempt to finally remove cancer from his body. This life changing operation has resulted in the loss of his voice. As Sam learns to negotiate a new world, where he is unable to use his voice to communicate, family matters begin to arise. Loyal Aunt Dettie has been looking after Sam and his sister, along with his mother. When Sam’s mother enters the dating game, Aunt Dettie decides enough is enough and concludes now is the best time to reunite her brother with the children that he abandoned. What ensues is a dangerous road trip from the east to the west coast. Sam is rendered helpless and watches on in quiet horror as his aunt takes a dangerous path with him and his sister in tow. Sign is the story of a road trip that goes terribly wrong, along with one young boy’s fight to reclaim his life.
I came across this debut novel from the Australian literary genre, through the recommendation of a fellow book blogger and trusted reviewer. It was fate when my local library had a copy out on display in the new releases section and I had a feeling that this was my ‘sign’ that I had to read Sign by Colin Dray. I appreciated the gentle undertones of this novel very much and I can see why it has attracted such a positive response from other reviewers and critics alike.
I was immediately impressed by the third person narrative voice of the leading character of this novel, Sam. Although Sam is just a child, at eleven years old, he seems to have experienced so much in his short life. There is a sense of maturity and responsibility to Sam, he is also burdened with situations that no eleven year old should have to experience. It is easy to develop an attachment for Sam. My mother’s instinct, especially as I have two young boys of my own kicked in while reading Sam’s story. It touched me much more than I expected and my heart went out to Sam, many times over. I was also very impressed by the author, Colin Dray’s ability to infiltrate the heart and mind of an eleven year old so succinctly. I can only imagine how hard a task this would be to a writer, but Dray’s approach is effortless.
A significant amount of this book is devoted to the fateful road trip from the east to the west coast. Dray uses these sections of the novel to capture the harshness of our country, the vast distance, the searing heat and the danger of the bushfire that impacts on this family in the novel. I found these scenes had a strong visual quality. There is also something distinctly Australian about these passages. For me personally, it ignited memories of my own family road trips as a young girl growing up in the 1980’s, which is the same time period as this novel.
Colin Dray uses his first novel, Sign, to examine some strong themes. Aunt Dettie’s very well formed character gives Dray the room to explore mental illness. He also examines the impact of childhood cancer, life changing surgery and the struggle to adjust to life after such an event. Communication is an overarching theme of this book and is covered with a great deal of insight as the book moves along. Through the young characters of Sam and his sister Katie, Dray looks into sibling relationships, personal responsibility and the tenuous nature of family based relationships.
For those who like fast paced novels, expect this novel to be quite the opposite. Sign plods along in an unstated fashion, but the power behind the writing has a lasting impact. This is a story that will resonate with many readers. Do not expect a neatly tied together ending, instead, Dray offers a story that will get your mind ticking over. Sign is a novel that serves up plenty of questions which is an impressive feat for a debut author. A thought provoking, highly readable and very fine read.
*Book ‘d’ of the a-z author challenge 2018
4.5 stars
One of Australia’s roll call of honour in the literature field is the coveted Australian/Vogel Literary Award. In 2015, Colin Dray’s debut novel, Sign, was shortlisted. It has since made the path to publication and it is an assured one at that. Sign is an arresting novel that is filled with moments of heroism, personal strength and determination. It is about finding your way and fighting the bonds of family.
Sign is the incredible and moving story of a young boy named Sam. This amazing eleven year old boy is a character filled with much courage and gentle strength. Sam has recently undergone life saving surgery in an attempt to finally remove cancer from his body. This life changing operation has resulted in the loss of his voice. As Sam learns to negotiate a new world, where he is unable to use his voice to communicate, family matters begin to arise. Loyal Aunt Dettie has been looking after Sam and his sister, along with his mother. When Sam’s mother enters the dating game, Aunt Dettie decides enough is enough and concludes now is the best time to reunite her brother with the children that he abandoned. What ensues is a dangerous road trip from the east to the west coast. Sam is rendered helpless and watches on in quiet horror as his aunt takes a dangerous path with him and his sister in tow. Sign is the story of a road trip that goes terribly wrong, along with one young boy’s fight to reclaim his life.
I came across this debut novel from the Australian literary genre, through the recommendation of a fellow book blogger and trusted reviewer. It was fate when my local library had a copy out on display in the new releases section and I had a feeling that this was my ‘sign’ that I had to read Sign by Colin Dray. I appreciated the gentle undertones of this novel very much and I can see why it has attracted such a positive response from other reviewers and critics alike.
I was immediately impressed by the third person narrative voice of the leading character of this novel, Sam. Although Sam is just a child, at eleven years old, he seems to have experienced so much in his short life. There is a sense of maturity and responsibility to Sam, he is also burdened with situations that no eleven year old should have to experience. It is easy to develop an attachment for Sam. My mother’s instinct, especially as I have two young boys of my own kicked in while reading Sam’s story. It touched me much more than I expected and my heart went out to Sam, many times over. I was also very impressed by the author, Colin Dray’s ability to infiltrate the heart and mind of an eleven year old so succinctly. I can only imagine how hard a task this would be to a writer, but Dray’s approach is effortless.
A significant amount of this book is devoted to the fateful road trip from the east to the west coast. Dray uses these sections of the novel to capture the harshness of our country, the vast distance, the searing heat and the danger of the bushfire that impacts on this family in the novel. I found these scenes had a strong visual quality. There is also something distinctly Australian about these passages. For me personally, it ignited memories of my own family road trips as a young girl growing up in the 1980’s, which is the same time period as this novel.
Colin Dray uses his first novel, Sign, to examine some strong themes. Aunt Dettie’s very well formed character gives Dray the room to explore mental illness. He also examines the impact of childhood cancer, life changing surgery and the struggle to adjust to life after such an event. Communication is an overarching theme of this book and is covered with a great deal of insight as the book moves along. Through the young characters of Sam and his sister Katie, Dray looks into sibling relationships, personal responsibility and the tenuous nature of family based relationships.
For those who like fast paced novels, expect this novel to be quite the opposite. Sign plods along in an unstated fashion, but the power behind the writing has a lasting impact. This is a story that will resonate with many readers. Do not expect a neatly tied together ending, instead, Dray offers a story that will get your mind ticking over. Sign is a novel that serves up plenty of questions which is an impressive feat for a debut author. A thought provoking, highly readable and very fine read.
*Book ‘d’ of the a-z author challenge 2018
January 10, 2018
This is a good book. It was interesting reading about the inner workings and history of a family, albeit from the perspective of one person. As I was reading it I was seeing everything clicking into place and I was waiting for Sam to catch up. This didn't spoil things for me as it was a source of suspense in the story.
I remember driving across the Nullabor on a family holiday when I was a kid and I remember how fraught it could be. Hours of straight driving can send a child (and adults) a bit stir crazy, and I could feel that mounting impatience, boredom and fear in the kids, along with the revealing of Dettie's true state of mind.
While the story was written from the perspective of a child, the voice wasn't particularly child-like in some respects and showed a lot of mature insight. Sam not being able to speak probably resulted in him turning inwards, so this could be explained in this way. But there were a few times that I thought his line of reasoning and his emotional insight would have been out of reach for most kids. But none of this was bad enough to spoil my enjoyment of the story.
While the impending events were telegraphed, I kept reading because I wanted to see how they would get there; that was enough for me to happily keep reading. I also thought it was very clever that not all story lines were wrapped up. A particularly crucial one was left for the reader to ponder, and it was this that made me ask questions regarding issues around personal responsibility in the context of mental illness. And I will happily recommend any novel that gets me thinking.
I remember driving across the Nullabor on a family holiday when I was a kid and I remember how fraught it could be. Hours of straight driving can send a child (and adults) a bit stir crazy, and I could feel that mounting impatience, boredom and fear in the kids, along with the revealing of Dettie's true state of mind.
While the story was written from the perspective of a child, the voice wasn't particularly child-like in some respects and showed a lot of mature insight. Sam not being able to speak probably resulted in him turning inwards, so this could be explained in this way. But there were a few times that I thought his line of reasoning and his emotional insight would have been out of reach for most kids. But none of this was bad enough to spoil my enjoyment of the story.
While the impending events were telegraphed, I kept reading because I wanted to see how they would get there; that was enough for me to happily keep reading. I also thought it was very clever that not all story lines were wrapped up. A particularly crucial one was left for the reader to ponder, and it was this that made me ask questions regarding issues around personal responsibility in the context of mental illness. And I will happily recommend any novel that gets me thinking.
April 28, 2018
This book is a look not only into mental illness but also the loss of speech, something we all take for granted. These issues and the characters that suffer them develop throughout the book and bring to life a very intriguing story. Well written, well paced and with the right emotions, I thoroughly enjoyed this story.
September 29, 2018
4.5 stars
Sign by Colin Dray was utterly enjoyable and mightily captivating!
A road trip across the Nullarbor with an unhinged aunt leads to tense moments and danger for 11 year old Sam and his little sister, Katie and therefore does not a pleasant trip make.
All characters were quite likeable except for Dettie, Sam and Katie’s aunt, who from the beginning I just didn’t like, she seemed a bit bossy, she may have had an illness but still came across creepy. Jon was a great and sympathetic male character in the book - he gave the story just that bit of extra oomph.
A road trip across the Nullarbor has been a dream of mine for many years and after reading the blurb mentioning a drive across Australia picking up this book was easy peasy.
I loved the short chapters. It was an easy and quick read and a little hard to put down as it was quite an intriguing tale.
Rather looking forward to hear Colin Dray speak at my local library very soon.
Sign by Colin Dray was utterly enjoyable and mightily captivating!
A road trip across the Nullarbor with an unhinged aunt leads to tense moments and danger for 11 year old Sam and his little sister, Katie and therefore does not a pleasant trip make.
All characters were quite likeable except for Dettie, Sam and Katie’s aunt, who from the beginning I just didn’t like, she seemed a bit bossy, she may have had an illness but still came across creepy. Jon was a great and sympathetic male character in the book - he gave the story just that bit of extra oomph.
A road trip across the Nullarbor has been a dream of mine for many years and after reading the blurb mentioning a drive across Australia picking up this book was easy peasy.
I loved the short chapters. It was an easy and quick read and a little hard to put down as it was quite an intriguing tale.
Rather looking forward to hear Colin Dray speak at my local library very soon.
February 9, 2018
I read this book in one gulp across two days. It is quite a fast paced read and the tension built very cleverly in both the emotional and physical journey. I loved how very cleverly the novel captured the sense of what road trips in Australia can feel like, the heat, the distances.
February 11, 2018
Sign is a novel that quietly creeps up on you, hooks you in and then doesn’t let go until the very last page. Instantly engaging, it’s told from the perspective of Sam, a boy about 11 years old who is recovering from surgery, whereby his voice box was removed as a last resort for curing his cancer. While Sam is in the midst of adjusting to a life without speech, his Aunt Dettie suffers a psychotic episode and kidnaps his younger sister and him, with the intent of driving from Sydney to Perth so that the children can be reunited with their father – her brother – who abandoned them some years ago.
Sign is an exceptional novel. There is an art to writing for adults from a child’s perspective, and it doesn’t always work, but in this case, Colin Dray has absolutely nailed it to perfection. Seeing the story from Sam’s view allowed for a build in tension that quickly spiralled into dread for me. Our view of Dettie and her deterioration was one of childlike confusion at her erratic behaviour, moving into a realisation that her actions and words were no longer making sense within the context of truth that had been provided to Sam and his sister Katie, finally climaxing into terror as Sam realises he is completely at the mercy of his aunt who is acting in a manner that he finds inexplicably frightening. This dread was sustained throughout by Katie’s instinctive refusal to accept her aunt’s word. As Sam observed Katie’s growing defiance to go along with her aunt’s plan, his own doubt was magnified. The utter terror that these two children were feeling was so apparent and I was alternately shocked and dismayed at each point of disintegration of Dettie’s sanity. It was horrifying to contemplate the danger that she was putting these children in.
Not being able to speak offered Sam many opportunities of observation that might not have been open to him previously. Colin Dray has done such a precise analysis of what no longer being able to speak really means. Everything, from that loss of communication through to the perceived disability people now considered Sam to have, was examined throughout the narrative. I have a son who is just a bit older than Sam, and it was extremely difficult for me to not have Sam in my own son’s image while I was reading. I think in many ways this enhanced my appreciation for Sam’s plight, and it certainly ensured my investment in him as an integral character. His sense of responsibility towards Katie was deep and protecting her became a singular focus for him, no small task for a boy who cannot speak and is still recovering from surgery and cancer treatments. But the bravery and honour within Sam were defining characteristics and he seemed to regard these as the opposite of those his father had shown in abandoning the family. I appreciated this immensely, a boy on the cusp of so much choosing his path with unequivocal surety.
The situation with Dettie raises many questions about mental illness within families. Dettie was very much a right hand for Joanne. She loved Sam and Katie, got them to and from school each day while Joanne was at work, and generally helped out as much as she could. But there was an underlying passive aggression to Dettie’s interactions with Joanne, a slight possession over the children that would possibly not have been tolerated had Joanne’s husband still been around. It was impossible for me to blame Joanne in anyway for what eventuated. When you’re dealing with mental illness, there are many things you have to just take at face value. While Dettie was definitely off the charts, I was so sad about her predicament. She truly had no control over her delusions. I can only imagine how devastating it would be to realise down the track, once you were well again, what sort of things you had done to those you loved while literally in the grips of madness.
“Dettie was trapped. She’d set herself on a course that had no ending, and from which there was no turning back.”
The heat, the fear, the helplessness, the mounting dread; the sheer vastness of Australia, a continent stretching across so many terrains, blistering under the summer sun and burning with ferocity. The sense of time and place was so present within this novel, at all times. You were constantly grounded within the setting, no small task given that the setting was always changing as the road trip progressed. But I felt it, as though I was there, the dust, the heat, and later, the choking smoke and falling ash.
Sign deserves all the accolades and all the nominations it can get for literary awards over the coming year. It is just that good. I can see a ripping thriller road trip movie coming out of this novel as well, as long as anyone is brave enough to take it on with empathy rather than sensationalism. Sign is categorised as a literary novel, and it is – with a very accessible delivery, but it also hangs around the edges of being a thriller. It’s one of those novels that everyone can read, of any age really, and I encourage everyone to do so. Colin Dray has crafted a story for our times, a sympathetic and informed portrayal of the impact of mental illness, and the elasticity of family bonds when trust becomes frayed and fear takes precedence. The hope threaded through the ending was a polished way to finish off. Katie’s capacity to forgive her aunt, to allow empathy to outweigh anger, is something we can all draw from. I loved this novel and can’t even begin to recommend it highly enough.
Thanks is extended to Allen & Unwin via for providing me with a copy of Sign for review.
Sign is an exceptional novel. There is an art to writing for adults from a child’s perspective, and it doesn’t always work, but in this case, Colin Dray has absolutely nailed it to perfection. Seeing the story from Sam’s view allowed for a build in tension that quickly spiralled into dread for me. Our view of Dettie and her deterioration was one of childlike confusion at her erratic behaviour, moving into a realisation that her actions and words were no longer making sense within the context of truth that had been provided to Sam and his sister Katie, finally climaxing into terror as Sam realises he is completely at the mercy of his aunt who is acting in a manner that he finds inexplicably frightening. This dread was sustained throughout by Katie’s instinctive refusal to accept her aunt’s word. As Sam observed Katie’s growing defiance to go along with her aunt’s plan, his own doubt was magnified. The utter terror that these two children were feeling was so apparent and I was alternately shocked and dismayed at each point of disintegration of Dettie’s sanity. It was horrifying to contemplate the danger that she was putting these children in.
Not being able to speak offered Sam many opportunities of observation that might not have been open to him previously. Colin Dray has done such a precise analysis of what no longer being able to speak really means. Everything, from that loss of communication through to the perceived disability people now considered Sam to have, was examined throughout the narrative. I have a son who is just a bit older than Sam, and it was extremely difficult for me to not have Sam in my own son’s image while I was reading. I think in many ways this enhanced my appreciation for Sam’s plight, and it certainly ensured my investment in him as an integral character. His sense of responsibility towards Katie was deep and protecting her became a singular focus for him, no small task for a boy who cannot speak and is still recovering from surgery and cancer treatments. But the bravery and honour within Sam were defining characteristics and he seemed to regard these as the opposite of those his father had shown in abandoning the family. I appreciated this immensely, a boy on the cusp of so much choosing his path with unequivocal surety.
The situation with Dettie raises many questions about mental illness within families. Dettie was very much a right hand for Joanne. She loved Sam and Katie, got them to and from school each day while Joanne was at work, and generally helped out as much as she could. But there was an underlying passive aggression to Dettie’s interactions with Joanne, a slight possession over the children that would possibly not have been tolerated had Joanne’s husband still been around. It was impossible for me to blame Joanne in anyway for what eventuated. When you’re dealing with mental illness, there are many things you have to just take at face value. While Dettie was definitely off the charts, I was so sad about her predicament. She truly had no control over her delusions. I can only imagine how devastating it would be to realise down the track, once you were well again, what sort of things you had done to those you loved while literally in the grips of madness.
“Dettie was trapped. She’d set herself on a course that had no ending, and from which there was no turning back.”
The heat, the fear, the helplessness, the mounting dread; the sheer vastness of Australia, a continent stretching across so many terrains, blistering under the summer sun and burning with ferocity. The sense of time and place was so present within this novel, at all times. You were constantly grounded within the setting, no small task given that the setting was always changing as the road trip progressed. But I felt it, as though I was there, the dust, the heat, and later, the choking smoke and falling ash.
Sign deserves all the accolades and all the nominations it can get for literary awards over the coming year. It is just that good. I can see a ripping thriller road trip movie coming out of this novel as well, as long as anyone is brave enough to take it on with empathy rather than sensationalism. Sign is categorised as a literary novel, and it is – with a very accessible delivery, but it also hangs around the edges of being a thriller. It’s one of those novels that everyone can read, of any age really, and I encourage everyone to do so. Colin Dray has crafted a story for our times, a sympathetic and informed portrayal of the impact of mental illness, and the elasticity of family bonds when trust becomes frayed and fear takes precedence. The hope threaded through the ending was a polished way to finish off. Katie’s capacity to forgive her aunt, to allow empathy to outweigh anger, is something we can all draw from. I loved this novel and can’t even begin to recommend it highly enough.
Thanks is extended to Allen & Unwin via for providing me with a copy of Sign for review.
May 18, 2021
Interesting concept of a story told from the perspective of a young boy who has lost the ability to speak. His struggle to overcome this trauma, whilst his family life is unraveled takes this story through many uncertainties. The whole story takes place inside the car on a road trip across Australia, which bought back many childhood memories of long car trips.
Easy to read and well written.
Easy to read and well written.
March 11, 2018
Huge thanks to Allen & Unwin for my advanced copy.
I love books that are quintessentially Australian. Australian books are bleak by nature, and I found Dray's descriptions of the bushfires and death all too real and dark.
Unanswered questions at the end, but I think it was a good thing.
All the characters had incredible depth and Sam is the perfect protagonist. I can't wait to hear Dray speak about Sign at my library this month.
I love books that are quintessentially Australian. Australian books are bleak by nature, and I found Dray's descriptions of the bushfires and death all too real and dark.
Unanswered questions at the end, but I think it was a good thing.
All the characters had incredible depth and Sam is the perfect protagonist. I can't wait to hear Dray speak about Sign at my library this month.
January 23, 2018
This is one of those books you stay up late at night to finish reading. I highly recommend it.
I fully expect Sign, Colin Dray's debut novel, to be made into a quintessential Australian road trip movie in the next few years.
This is an incredible, beautifully written novel. The horror of young Sam waking up from life-saving cancer surgery and being unable to speak, scream in pain or even whistle, is palpable through Dray's masterful ability to sketch both scenes and feelings.
It doesn't help his recovery when Aunt Dettie tells him and his sister, Katie, that she's been asked by their mother to drive them both from their east coast home to be reunited with their estranged father in Perth. Except they never said goodbye to their mother. And they left in such a rush, packing no clothes... and why does Aunt Dettie seem so frazzled?
The characters are multi-layered and neither good nor evil, often veering from one extreme to another in the space of a few pages. Aunt Dettie spends the entire book desperately trying to make life reflect the stolid, white-bread arrangements she values. At the same time, Sam must choose whether to try to fit back into his old life, or reinvent a completely new, voiceless life for himself.
As they head further west, the temperatures rise, the bushfires are closing in and everything starts to unravel...
Out now from Allen and Unwin
Read my full review here: https://buff.ly/2DYEHZg
I fully expect Sign, Colin Dray's debut novel, to be made into a quintessential Australian road trip movie in the next few years.
This is an incredible, beautifully written novel. The horror of young Sam waking up from life-saving cancer surgery and being unable to speak, scream in pain or even whistle, is palpable through Dray's masterful ability to sketch both scenes and feelings.
It doesn't help his recovery when Aunt Dettie tells him and his sister, Katie, that she's been asked by their mother to drive them both from their east coast home to be reunited with their estranged father in Perth. Except they never said goodbye to their mother. And they left in such a rush, packing no clothes... and why does Aunt Dettie seem so frazzled?
The characters are multi-layered and neither good nor evil, often veering from one extreme to another in the space of a few pages. Aunt Dettie spends the entire book desperately trying to make life reflect the stolid, white-bread arrangements she values. At the same time, Sam must choose whether to try to fit back into his old life, or reinvent a completely new, voiceless life for himself.
As they head further west, the temperatures rise, the bushfires are closing in and everything starts to unravel...
Out now from Allen and Unwin
Read my full review here: https://buff.ly/2DYEHZg
February 15, 2018
Okay SO I don’t normally do full reviews (or reviews that consist of anything but sCREAMING INTO THE VOID) but Colin Dray went to the same university as me and gave a guest lecture for my creative writing class and was SO great and from the acknowledgements at the end of this book it seems like he would also give his life for my fav lecturer Chrissy Howe because she’s the actual nicest human being on earth, SO. Here I am, trying to get my thoughts down in a somewhat cohesive manner.
First off, when Dray did his guest lecture, he kept making jokes about how all throughout writing, editing and pitching Sign he felt like a fraud because he didn’t think he was good enough to be there doing those things. So I open my review with a Public Service Announcement to Colin Dray: YOU ARE NOT A FRAUD, AND IF ALL YOUR BOOKS END UP THIS GOOD THEN YOU ARE IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE. Ahem. Sorry for the momentary relapse to screaming instead of reviewing.
Sign is a novel about a boy called Sam who had cancer that left him unable to speak for the rest of his life, and is taken on a road trip across the Nullarbor with his Aunt Dettie and sister Katie (I assume she’s his younger sister, but I don’t actually remember it being mentioned anywhere???). As the road trip plays out, Sam must come to terms with no longer having a voice, and also the fact that he might not know Aunt Dettie as well as he thinks he does.
I’m no doctor, but I was really impressed with how Dray depicted Sam and his struggle with no voice and his stoma. I don’t even want to imagine how difficult it would have been to write a novel from the perspective of someone who can’t talk, but Dray did it ridiculously well for someone who stood in a lecture hall and chatted nervously about not being great for an hour at 9:30 in the morning. The whole book has this kind of yearning feeling, a need for more, and, particularly in the beginning, it feels almost claustrophobic. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I could, in fact, still talk, even though the book wasn’t even written in first person.
The family dynamic was also written very well! Katie and Aunt Dettie’s relationship was very realistic, especially as the story progressed and everyone got sick of being in that damn car (I was also sick of being in that damn car).
Sam’s development in particular was my favourite, particularly when he came to learn sign language on his own terms, rather than because he was being forced. The moments between him and Jon were really beautiful, but I really do wish we’d been given an answer to what happened to him.
I feel like there’s definitely stuff I’m forgetting, but that’s all I can think of for now?? Though I will say part of the reason for four stars over five was because I’m not exactly a fan of the whole mentally-ill-people-as-villains trope, but that’s a Me Thing rather than a Colin Dray thing. Anyway, have some of my fav quotes from the book to finish off!
“Unable to speak, unable to breathe, his jaw hung slack. Pointless. ...With an effort, his lips cracking, he eased it shut.”
“See, people break sometimes, Sammy. Like a toy, or a car, or a bone. Things come apart. But that’s not the end of them. They can be put back together. Fixed up. And you know what? Afterwards, those things are stronger, always, in the broken places.”
“Pain. What a joke pain had become.”
“He knew what [the zombies] reminded him of. Angry. Silent. Changed from what they were... The zombies, rotting and shredded as they were, had taken all that rage and loss and self-loathing and run with it. Used it to tear up whatever got in the way. It made them strong. Something to fear, not something afraid.”
“She seemed to be held together by hundreds of lies. Lies she’d wrapped around herself to make sense of the world. Comfortable and numbing lies.”
[NOVEMBER 2017]
Colin Dray came and gave a lecture for my class this morning and he’s so funny! This book doesn’t look funny but I’m 100% down to read it regardless because his lecture was so relatable
First off, when Dray did his guest lecture, he kept making jokes about how all throughout writing, editing and pitching Sign he felt like a fraud because he didn’t think he was good enough to be there doing those things. So I open my review with a Public Service Announcement to Colin Dray: YOU ARE NOT A FRAUD, AND IF ALL YOUR BOOKS END UP THIS GOOD THEN YOU ARE IN EXACTLY THE RIGHT PLACE. Ahem. Sorry for the momentary relapse to screaming instead of reviewing.
Sign is a novel about a boy called Sam who had cancer that left him unable to speak for the rest of his life, and is taken on a road trip across the Nullarbor with his Aunt Dettie and sister Katie (I assume she’s his younger sister, but I don’t actually remember it being mentioned anywhere???). As the road trip plays out, Sam must come to terms with no longer having a voice, and also the fact that he might not know Aunt Dettie as well as he thinks he does.
I’m no doctor, but I was really impressed with how Dray depicted Sam and his struggle with no voice and his stoma. I don’t even want to imagine how difficult it would have been to write a novel from the perspective of someone who can’t talk, but Dray did it ridiculously well for someone who stood in a lecture hall and chatted nervously about not being great for an hour at 9:30 in the morning. The whole book has this kind of yearning feeling, a need for more, and, particularly in the beginning, it feels almost claustrophobic. Sometimes I had to remind myself that I could, in fact, still talk, even though the book wasn’t even written in first person.
The family dynamic was also written very well! Katie and Aunt Dettie’s relationship was very realistic, especially as the story progressed and everyone got sick of being in that damn car (I was also sick of being in that damn car).
Sam’s development in particular was my favourite, particularly when he came to learn sign language on his own terms, rather than because he was being forced. The moments between him and Jon were really beautiful, but I really do wish we’d been given an answer to what happened to him.
I feel like there’s definitely stuff I’m forgetting, but that’s all I can think of for now?? Though I will say part of the reason for four stars over five was because I’m not exactly a fan of the whole mentally-ill-people-as-villains trope, but that’s a Me Thing rather than a Colin Dray thing. Anyway, have some of my fav quotes from the book to finish off!
“Unable to speak, unable to breathe, his jaw hung slack. Pointless. ...With an effort, his lips cracking, he eased it shut.”
“See, people break sometimes, Sammy. Like a toy, or a car, or a bone. Things come apart. But that’s not the end of them. They can be put back together. Fixed up. And you know what? Afterwards, those things are stronger, always, in the broken places.”
“Pain. What a joke pain had become.”
“He knew what [the zombies] reminded him of. Angry. Silent. Changed from what they were... The zombies, rotting and shredded as they were, had taken all that rage and loss and self-loathing and run with it. Used it to tear up whatever got in the way. It made them strong. Something to fear, not something afraid.”
“She seemed to be held together by hundreds of lies. Lies she’d wrapped around herself to make sense of the world. Comfortable and numbing lies.”
[NOVEMBER 2017]
Colin Dray came and gave a lecture for my class this morning and he’s so funny! This book doesn’t look funny but I’m 100% down to read it regardless because his lecture was so relatable
February 24, 2018
One of the best Australian books I've read in a long time. Very well-written and completely captivating. Was a 5'starer until the end, which I felt left too many unanswered questions. That said, I'd still recommend as it was a great read.
December 12, 2017
I won an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway thanks to the generosity of the publishers.
I loved this book, and the main protagonist Sam, who had cancer and had a part of his throat removed, rendering him speechless.
I was a little disappointed by the ending and have many questions I’d ask the author if I was to meet him. I’ve drawn my own conclusions but I need answers.
Lots of foreshadowing. Seems to be set in a time before mobile phones.
Recommended reading for lovers of YA.
I loved this book, and the main protagonist Sam, who had cancer and had a part of his throat removed, rendering him speechless.
I was a little disappointed by the ending and have many questions I’d ask the author if I was to meet him. I’ve drawn my own conclusions but I need answers.
Lots of foreshadowing. Seems to be set in a time before mobile phones.
Recommended reading for lovers of YA.
February 2, 2018
If you’ve ever been a kid in the back seat of a hot car travelling some endless Australian highway with a grumpy adult in the driver’s seat, you will so relate to this book. It’s a journey, emotional as well as physical, and you hold your breath hoping it will end well, that there will be some sort of redemption at journey’s end.
This book really held my interest and I finished it in two days. It’s suspensful, dramatic and touching. Spoiler alert: I would have liked to know what happened to Jon. Surely not...?
This book really held my interest and I finished it in two days. It’s suspensful, dramatic and touching. Spoiler alert: I would have liked to know what happened to Jon. Surely not...?
January 22, 2018
Thought provoking and well written, this novel takes you on a journey. The pain and challenges suffered by the main character, Sam, are overwhelming. Sam does not come across as a child, notwithstanding age, but the reality of one so young having to mature so quickly is in itself saddening. The author doesn't feel the need to tie up all loose strings and for this I applaud. A book worth reading, but have the tissues handy.
February 4, 2018
I found this book to be fascinating. As a speech pathologist, I was very interested in the idea of a child with a laryngectomy - it’s incredibly rare. While the authors description of the laryngectomy (surgery, stoma, stoma care, complications, cleaning, voicing options) wasn’t entirely accurate, it was still interesting to read about the procedure from a layman’s point of view. The story moved fairly quickly although I think there could have been a bit more work in the back story. I felt rushed, with little understanding of why. Overall I enjoyed the book.
March 1, 2018
having grown up in Australia during a decade long drought plagued by bushfires, this book evokes strong sense memories. the smell of bushland after a fire, yards covered in ash like snow.
Sam's feelings about his absent father don't gel with how i felt at the same age, but i guess everyone is different.
Dray delivers his reveals exactly as a child experiences them- overheard snatches of conversation, reading between the lines of what different adults tell you, looking back with the benefit of hindsight and connecting the dots.
Sam's loss of his voice is also an excellent metaphor for how silenced children are in the huge tectonic movements of the adult lives around them. I don't mean in terms of being heard, but of being understood. Sam's most frustrated moments aren't when he is silent but when he is trying to communicate and the adults don't understand him so they just fill in the gaps themselves with what they think a kid would be saying.
It really spoke to me, anyway. Good work, Colin
Sam's feelings about his absent father don't gel with how i felt at the same age, but i guess everyone is different.
Dray delivers his reveals exactly as a child experiences them- overheard snatches of conversation, reading between the lines of what different adults tell you, looking back with the benefit of hindsight and connecting the dots.
Sam's loss of his voice is also an excellent metaphor for how silenced children are in the huge tectonic movements of the adult lives around them. I don't mean in terms of being heard, but of being understood. Sam's most frustrated moments aren't when he is silent but when he is trying to communicate and the adults don't understand him so they just fill in the gaps themselves with what they think a kid would be saying.
It really spoke to me, anyway. Good work, Colin
February 28, 2018
Good read, engaging but lacking in detail at the end on significant character.
October 23, 2018
This review has been crossposted from my blog at The Cosy Dragon . Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me, which appear on a timely schedule.
Sam’s cancer came back, and it literally took his voice away. After his operation, Sam’s angry and confused. Why him? His aunt keeps telling him that silence equates with being strong, but Sam doesn’t know what to think. When his aunt tells Sam and his younger sister that his parents are getting back together and they need to go to Perth, Sam is happy to sit back for the ride…
What confused me was why Sam didn’t just ‘speak up’ anyway. He could write, couldn’t he? Wasn’t he sneaky enough that his aunt wouldn’t notice? He was allowed to go to the bathroom by himself. He could have slipped someone a note. Why is it that when it is too late he finally does something? He’s not that dumb is he?
I think that the blurb made a really big deal of the bushfires but those really didn’t come into play until near the very end of the novel. Additionally, the cover tried to tell me a moral: ‘Sometimes even the best intentions can lead you down a very dangerous road’. Perhaps, perhaps, but I didn’t actually get that from the story. His aunt didn’t have the best intentions at mind in all. She only had her own intentions in mind, and that’s clear to the reader from the start. Not even the least bit of sympathy from me.
I hated how everyone just dismissed Leo’s disappearance. Couldn’t they see that things were a bit crazy? I think that he was murdered, but I didn’t have my suspicions confirmed or denied and that drove me crazy! I hate books with no endings, and lately that’s what I’ve been getting. Actually, that’s why I’ll only be giving this novel 3 stars.
Sam’s cancer came back, and it literally took his voice away. After his operation, Sam’s angry and confused. Why him? His aunt keeps telling him that silence equates with being strong, but Sam doesn’t know what to think. When his aunt tells Sam and his younger sister that his parents are getting back together and they need to go to Perth, Sam is happy to sit back for the ride…
What confused me was why Sam didn’t just ‘speak up’ anyway. He could write, couldn’t he? Wasn’t he sneaky enough that his aunt wouldn’t notice? He was allowed to go to the bathroom by himself. He could have slipped someone a note. Why is it that when it is too late he finally does something? He’s not that dumb is he?
I think that the blurb made a really big deal of the bushfires but those really didn’t come into play until near the very end of the novel. Additionally, the cover tried to tell me a moral: ‘Sometimes even the best intentions can lead you down a very dangerous road’. Perhaps, perhaps, but I didn’t actually get that from the story. His aunt didn’t have the best intentions at mind in all. She only had her own intentions in mind, and that’s clear to the reader from the start. Not even the least bit of sympathy from me.
I hated how everyone just dismissed Leo’s disappearance. Couldn’t they see that things were a bit crazy? I think that he was murdered, but I didn’t have my suspicions confirmed or denied and that drove me crazy! I hate books with no endings, and lately that’s what I’ve been getting. Actually, that’s why I’ll only be giving this novel 3 stars.
February 6, 2018
This is such an accomplished debut novel. It's set in 1980s Australia and captures the time and place in such assured and effortless way.
The protagonist is a boy, Sam who after an operation is left permanently unable to speak. Living in Sydney, his Aunt Dettie decides to drive him and his younger sister to visit their estranged father in Perth. We follow them across Australia on the family road trip from hell. As they drive further into the sweltering interior during a dangerous bushfire season we witness the unravelling of Dettie's mind.
The slow building tension is so tantalising and draws you right along with Sam until the very end.
The protagonist is a boy, Sam who after an operation is left permanently unable to speak. Living in Sydney, his Aunt Dettie decides to drive him and his younger sister to visit their estranged father in Perth. We follow them across Australia on the family road trip from hell. As they drive further into the sweltering interior during a dangerous bushfire season we witness the unravelling of Dettie's mind.
The slow building tension is so tantalising and draws you right along with Sam until the very end.
May 13, 2018
Colin Dray was my uni lecturer (one of my favourites), back in the day, and it's great to see him published. The writing is spare, characters well developed, and voice distinct. The pace didn't really pick up until chapter 15 but from there it was hard to put down and I was satisfied with the ending. Overall rating is 3.8 stars. Congratulations Colin!
January 12, 2019
This book is meticulously written, and is a testament to the obviously enormous amount of work that went into its creation.
Colin was my (tied) favourite writing teacher. I still remember my first lecture with him at nineteen, and never before in my life had I encountered anybody as passionate and uncontainably excited about anything as he was about writing. It's a sure mark of his authorial skill that precisely none of this comes through in Sign - and I don't mean that this book lacks personality, but rather that it is its own wholly-realised entity, entirely separate from the person from whose mind it came.
The way trauma effects a child is strange. Parents do the best they can to shield their children from the darkness in the world, and the sense of trust in the world this imbues in them colours their perception of crises, tragedy, and any terrible thing that befalls them. Something like "I don't like this" at a particular moment, rather than "this is bad" at a whole situation. That's a poor facsimile, but it's something this book does a wonderful, terrible, gripping job of portraying.
Tension builds throughout, slowly, almost imperceptibly. This sense of foreboding is driven by the knowledge that I as the reader had, and how it fed into the niggling doubt and lack of surety Sam has, trying to make sense of what's going on. It's thrilling, like a thriller, in an emotional sense. But it's unconventional in that what's driving the thrill are all these weird and messy human things, not something dreadful or terrifying, not really.
The landscape of Australia's sparse and inhospitable western nowheres, crossed with highways, a-roads, and those dotted with tin-shed rest stops and failing petrol stations, plays a huge role in this story. Rather counterintuitively, all this open space lends an almost overwhelming sense of claustrophobia to proceedings. Rattling around in a car, stopping nowhere, going nowhere, through nowhere, it's a uniquely Australian loneliness that you only get when driving long-distance in this country.
The ending doesn't land quite as well as I was hoping it would, it's a little too neat, a little too optimistic, but that's maybe just a reflection of me more than the book.
Overall really worthwhile, engrossing, and one of those books you read in a couple of sittings without really meaning to.
Colin was my (tied) favourite writing teacher. I still remember my first lecture with him at nineteen, and never before in my life had I encountered anybody as passionate and uncontainably excited about anything as he was about writing. It's a sure mark of his authorial skill that precisely none of this comes through in Sign - and I don't mean that this book lacks personality, but rather that it is its own wholly-realised entity, entirely separate from the person from whose mind it came.
The way trauma effects a child is strange. Parents do the best they can to shield their children from the darkness in the world, and the sense of trust in the world this imbues in them colours their perception of crises, tragedy, and any terrible thing that befalls them. Something like "I don't like this" at a particular moment, rather than "this is bad" at a whole situation. That's a poor facsimile, but it's something this book does a wonderful, terrible, gripping job of portraying.
Tension builds throughout, slowly, almost imperceptibly. This sense of foreboding is driven by the knowledge that I as the reader had, and how it fed into the niggling doubt and lack of surety Sam has, trying to make sense of what's going on. It's thrilling, like a thriller, in an emotional sense. But it's unconventional in that what's driving the thrill are all these weird and messy human things, not something dreadful or terrifying, not really.
The landscape of Australia's sparse and inhospitable western nowheres, crossed with highways, a-roads, and those dotted with tin-shed rest stops and failing petrol stations, plays a huge role in this story. Rather counterintuitively, all this open space lends an almost overwhelming sense of claustrophobia to proceedings. Rattling around in a car, stopping nowhere, going nowhere, through nowhere, it's a uniquely Australian loneliness that you only get when driving long-distance in this country.
The ending doesn't land quite as well as I was hoping it would, it's a little too neat, a little too optimistic, but that's maybe just a reflection of me more than the book.
Overall really worthwhile, engrossing, and one of those books you read in a couple of sittings without really meaning to.
August 1, 2018
I’ve given four star as the book is the author’s first.
An interesting read but I was puzzled about what era the novel was set.
I thought that the author spoke well through the eyes of Sam, who seemed emotionally immature but intelligent. He has recently had an operation that means he has lost his ability to speak.
Dettie virtually kidnaps Sam and Katie under the guise of going to live with their father and mother who had separated with the father moving from Sydney to Perth.
It’s not surprising the kids were easily persuaded since they missed their dad. But I doubt either had any idea how long it was going to take.
Not only had they left in a hurry but Dettie hadn’t taken her medication (anti depressants?) Not taking this along with the gradual lack of sleep, and sheer exhaustion from driving, she slowly descends into a psychotic/manic behaviour.
They give a ride to a hitch hiker Jon. His presence keeps some calmness in the situation. The kids feel calmer and more secure in his presence. It eventually starts to dawn on Jon that all is not well and he starts to question Dettie.
Dettie knows she has done the wrong thing and knows she is going to get into a lot of trouble. Her behaviour becomes even more erratic and she does things that endanger all.
And so the story depends further into hell as Jon mysteriously decides to leave without saying goodbye to the kids.....
And Dettie, having seemingly had a complete breakdown, drives them through bushfires in an attempt to get them to Perth ASAP, finally being run off the road by firemen.
It felt to me that the tale might be some sort of metaphor for people without a ‘voice’ . That is Sam could not vocalise his fears and was unable to get the attention he required to draw attention to their plight. Although I could be sure that that was the author’s intention.
I decided the time frame might have been in the 1970s? Dettie’s heavy smoking is unusual now, but would have been more typical in that era? Again it’s not possible to know that.
Some things bothered me. Some of the words like ‘diner’ instead of roadhouse? And a few other things.
Al in all I thought it was a reasonable and believable first novel.
An interesting read but I was puzzled about what era the novel was set.
I thought that the author spoke well through the eyes of Sam, who seemed emotionally immature but intelligent. He has recently had an operation that means he has lost his ability to speak.
Dettie virtually kidnaps Sam and Katie under the guise of going to live with their father and mother who had separated with the father moving from Sydney to Perth.
It’s not surprising the kids were easily persuaded since they missed their dad. But I doubt either had any idea how long it was going to take.
Not only had they left in a hurry but Dettie hadn’t taken her medication (anti depressants?) Not taking this along with the gradual lack of sleep, and sheer exhaustion from driving, she slowly descends into a psychotic/manic behaviour.
They give a ride to a hitch hiker Jon. His presence keeps some calmness in the situation. The kids feel calmer and more secure in his presence. It eventually starts to dawn on Jon that all is not well and he starts to question Dettie.
Dettie knows she has done the wrong thing and knows she is going to get into a lot of trouble. Her behaviour becomes even more erratic and she does things that endanger all.
And so the story depends further into hell as Jon mysteriously decides to leave without saying goodbye to the kids.....
And Dettie, having seemingly had a complete breakdown, drives them through bushfires in an attempt to get them to Perth ASAP, finally being run off the road by firemen.
It felt to me that the tale might be some sort of metaphor for people without a ‘voice’ . That is Sam could not vocalise his fears and was unable to get the attention he required to draw attention to their plight. Although I could be sure that that was the author’s intention.
I decided the time frame might have been in the 1970s? Dettie’s heavy smoking is unusual now, but would have been more typical in that era? Again it’s not possible to know that.
Some things bothered me. Some of the words like ‘diner’ instead of roadhouse? And a few other things.
Al in all I thought it was a reasonable and believable first novel.
May 24, 2018
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*3.5 stars
Sign by Colin Dray. (2018).
Sam is a young boy who has just had a needed operation which resulted in him losing his voice forever. He lives with his mother, younger sister Katie and is often cared for by his Aunt Dettie. Dettie is Sam's father's sister; the father who left the family some time ago. When Sam's mother starts to date someone, Dettie reacts badly and after a random phone call she packs the kids in the car to drive from Sydney to Perth to reunite the kids with their dad. The drive occurs during a dangerous bushfire season and Dettie starts to deteriorate mentally through the trip and Sam can literally not say anything.
The book is from Sam's POV (third person) and starts right after his operation. I couldn't help but feel for this young boy who would never be able to verbally speak again; I can't imagine having such a massive life change like that, particularly at only 11 years old. Sam has been written as a fairly intelligent and mature young boy who seems to deal with these hurdles in his life quite well. I enjoyed the addition of the random hitchhiker into the car trip in a later part of the book, this character added some lightness along the way when sometimes the conversation in the car felt quite dry (probably understandable when the main character is mute and the other two main characters are an older lady with deteriorating mental health and a little girl). For me the story felt pretty slow and I struggle with slow paced books because I have such limited time to read so that was probably the negative of this book for me. But overall it was a smooth engaging read that I think a lot of readers would enjoy, particularly those that enjoy Australian fiction.
*3.5 stars
Sign by Colin Dray. (2018).
Sam is a young boy who has just had a needed operation which resulted in him losing his voice forever. He lives with his mother, younger sister Katie and is often cared for by his Aunt Dettie. Dettie is Sam's father's sister; the father who left the family some time ago. When Sam's mother starts to date someone, Dettie reacts badly and after a random phone call she packs the kids in the car to drive from Sydney to Perth to reunite the kids with their dad. The drive occurs during a dangerous bushfire season and Dettie starts to deteriorate mentally through the trip and Sam can literally not say anything.
The book is from Sam's POV (third person) and starts right after his operation. I couldn't help but feel for this young boy who would never be able to verbally speak again; I can't imagine having such a massive life change like that, particularly at only 11 years old. Sam has been written as a fairly intelligent and mature young boy who seems to deal with these hurdles in his life quite well. I enjoyed the addition of the random hitchhiker into the car trip in a later part of the book, this character added some lightness along the way when sometimes the conversation in the car felt quite dry (probably understandable when the main character is mute and the other two main characters are an older lady with deteriorating mental health and a little girl). For me the story felt pretty slow and I struggle with slow paced books because I have such limited time to read so that was probably the negative of this book for me. But overall it was a smooth engaging read that I think a lot of readers would enjoy, particularly those that enjoy Australian fiction.
October 5, 2018
This is a road story with a difference. The debut novel of Illawarra author Colin Dray, and shortlisted for the 2015 Vogel award,* Sign draws on tropes of the dangers lurking in the Australian outback but in this case the danger is travelling with the helpless victims, not lying in wait for them. Sam and his little sister Katie have been lured into a transcontinental journey by their Aunt Dettie, ostensibly to meet up with his divorced parents, who (she says) are reuniting in Perth after their divorce. But Aunt Dettie is a fervent believer in rigid social and moral mores as well as a person with a mental health problem, and she has persuaded the children on this ill-conceived journey without their mother’s knowledge because Joanne has started dating again.
So, the trio set out in the car from Sydney for forty-odd hours of driving across nearly 4000 kilometres of isolated Australian roads. Set in some indeterminate time in the recent past — no mobile phones, no electric car windows or (yikes!) no air-conditioning, and none of the sharp-eyed grey nomads who are dawdling through the outback these days — the story is narrated from Sam’s point of view, a perspective both intimate and limited because the reader is quicker to identify the danger than Sam.
And Sam is mute. He has had cancer, and an operation has left him without a voice. So even when he does realise that he needs to call for help, he can’t do it.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/10/05/s...
So, the trio set out in the car from Sydney for forty-odd hours of driving across nearly 4000 kilometres of isolated Australian roads. Set in some indeterminate time in the recent past — no mobile phones, no electric car windows or (yikes!) no air-conditioning, and none of the sharp-eyed grey nomads who are dawdling through the outback these days — the story is narrated from Sam’s point of view, a perspective both intimate and limited because the reader is quicker to identify the danger than Sam.
And Sam is mute. He has had cancer, and an operation has left him without a voice. So even when he does realise that he needs to call for help, he can’t do it.
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/10/05/s...
April 7, 2018
Another Australian debut novel worth a read. It’s very like a Sofie Laguna novel. The narrator is ten year old Sam who has just undergone a partial laryngectomy. His whole world suddenly changes; Sam can’t communicate, and even the simple things in life become problematic. Sam can’t swim in water and even having a shower is difficult as since the operation he can’t submerge his neck. Then his aunt Dettie goes nuts and abducts Sam and his sister Katie because their mother has started a new relationship after being abandoned by her husband, Dettie’s brother. It’s a long way to Perth from Melbourne and it’s hot and it’s peak fire season. Two kids stuck in a car in a perilous journey. A bit slow in places but I enjoyed it.
May 21, 2018
This was a Goodreads giveaway.
This is a story about two young children who are told by their aunt that they are going on a drive from Sydney to Perth to see their father. We quickly realise that their mother doesn't know, and follow the journey as Sam realises something is really wrong and tries to figure out what is happening. He is unable to speak due to a recent surgery, so his ability to deal with the current situation is severely affected. He is also learning how to deal with his medical condition.
I really enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and flowed well. I had a strong connection to the main characters, finding them all quite believable. It deals with some complex family relationships.
This is a story about two young children who are told by their aunt that they are going on a drive from Sydney to Perth to see their father. We quickly realise that their mother doesn't know, and follow the journey as Sam realises something is really wrong and tries to figure out what is happening. He is unable to speak due to a recent surgery, so his ability to deal with the current situation is severely affected. He is also learning how to deal with his medical condition.
I really enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and flowed well. I had a strong connection to the main characters, finding them all quite believable. It deals with some complex family relationships.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 27, 2018
I'm reading Aussie reads this month & Wow! Great debut. It's a slowish read but works well being told this way & let's face it. Driving East to West is a long slog! I've driven The Nullabor twice. The landscape described & roughen it brought back memories. I liked how it touched on a few different subjects too. Loved the short chapters. I just wasn't satisfied with the ending. Maybe that's how we're suppose to feel? Get our minds ticking? Or maybe an opening for a sequel? .... I look fwd to read more from the author...Beaut book cover!
April 17, 2018
I really enjoyed reading this book due to the strength you see in the characters. While reading this book I thought I had the titled worked out but understood there were so many different interpretations of the title right throughout the story line. I particularly loved that the book was a journey with a before and after and I felt that I went on the journey as the author made it descriptive and I felt like I was there
July 14, 2019
This gem of a novel rolls along with the pace I imagine a long cross country road trip from one side of Australia to the other would. But as Sam's Aunt slides deeper into the sea of mental illness that has incited this journey, I found I just couldn't put this book down. An exploration of family, courage, communication and the devastating impact of mental illness, this is an author who has created characters worth the ride. I certainly won't forget Sam and his family, nor the hitchhiker who helped him find his 'voice'. Just beautiful. And for that, and for Sam, I am cranking it up to 5 big fat courageous stars.
July 2, 2018
A bookclub choice. The main character is unable to speak and family circumstances find him and his sister kidnapped by their well-meaning but damaged aunt. Together they embark on a road trip across Australia which becomes more desperate as time and distance are covered. An explosive conclusion results!
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