Greylands

by Isobelle Carmody

Greylands is the haunting and exquisitely rendered story of Jack and his little sister, Ellen, as they struggle to cope with their father's despair in the bleak time after their mother's strange death. It is a fable for all ages, from the acclaimed author of The Obernewtyn Chronicles and The Gathering.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Death, Childrens, Science Fiction Fantasy, Paranormal

175 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 1997

About the author

Isobelle Carmody began the first novel of her highly acclaimed Obernewtyn Chronicles while she was still in high school. The series has established her at the forefront of fantasy writing in Australia.

In addition to her young-adult novels, such as the Obernewtyn Chronicles and Alyzon Whitestarr, Isobelle's published works include several middle-grade fantasies. Her still-unfinished Gateway Trilogy has been favorably compared to The Wizard of Oz and the Chronicles of Narnia. The Little Fur quartet is an eco-fantasy starring a half-elf, half-troll heroine and is fully illustrated by the author herself.

Isobelle's most recent picture book, Magic Night, is a collaboration with illustrator Declan Lee. Originally published in Australia as The Wrong Thing, the book features an ordinary housecat who stumbles upon something otherworldly. Across all her writing, Isobelle shows a talent for balancing the mundane and the fantastic.

Isobelle was the guest of honor at the 2007 Australian National Science Fiction Convention. She has received numerous honors for her writing, including multiple Aurealis Awards and Children's Book Council of Australia Awards.

She currently divides her time between her home on the Great Ocean Road in Australia and her travels abroad with her partner and daughter.

Librarian's note: Penguin Australia is publishing the Obernewtyn Chronicles in six books, and The Stone Key is book five. In the United States and Canada this series is published by Random House in eight books; this Penguin Australia book is split into two parts and published as Wavesong (Book Five) and The Stone Key (Book Six).

Reviews

[Edwina Harvey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to see this Aurealis Award Winning YA novel reprinted through Ford Street books. It's the story of Jack and his sister Ellen dealing with the recent death of their mother, and more troublingly trying to deal with their emotionally unresponsive father, still in shock after the death of his wife.

Through mirrors, Jack is lured into the Greylands, where he meets a quirky young girl he calls Alice, and puzzles over her possessiveness of a packaged "thing."

Jack travels between his reality and the Greylands as the story unfolds around him. An expert storyteller, Carmody brings all facets of the story together in a very strong ending that answers all the questions raised throughout the book.

While this book was inspired by the author's grief at the loss of a parent, and would be a suggested read for a child or young adult dealing with their own grief, the theme does not over-power the story.

I felt the prominance of a cat on the cover of this edition a little misleading. While cats do play an imortant role in Greylands, they are more a supporting cast.

[Necia Agnew]

Greylands is a mysterious book about a young boy coming to terms with teh death of his mother. He travels to an alternative world but the reader is never sure what is real and what is make believe. The characters are rich and well drawn and very believable.

[Susanne Gervay · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad it's been republished - great book.

[Dymphna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read. So clever and beautiful, it addresses a child's grief, a mother's depression and family history in a way I've not seen before.

[Maree Kimberley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isobelle Carmody is one of my favourite writers, and this speculative fiction novel for children is a beautifully rendered exploration of grief after the loss of a parent.

Greylands tells the story of 12-year-old Jack who is trying to come to terms with the recent death of his mother, as well as deal with the deep grief and depression of his father. The story begins with an "Alice in Wonderland" feel as Jack finds himself drawn into the other side of the mirror, where he meets a mysterious girl who calls herself Alice. Alice is anxious and frightened, running away from the "wolvers" who she claims want to steal her precious package. Throughout the novel, Jack moves in and out of the "real world" and the nightmare world of Greylands, while telling his younger sister, Ellen, about Greylands as a bedtime story, using her favourite book of fairy-tales as a source of inspiration.

A key point that Carmody makes throughout the novel is that some emotions cannot be expressed in concrete terms, or even in words. They must be explored through metaphor, and that for children who are trying to cope with devastating grief, an imagined world provides a way to work through these emotions and move forward from great loss.

Carmody does not shy away from addressing the reality of the death of a parent. Nevertheless this is a gentle story, using beautiful language rich with symbolism, to open up a way into the heart of grief, to face it and move through it. The hopeful ending illustrates that grief, while always present, will fade, and joy in life can be found again. For any child or young teen (or adult for that matter) who is struggling with grief in their lives, no matter what the cause, Greylands is a novel that can help work through and those feelings.

Highly recommended for ages 9 years and up.

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really had no idea what to expect from this novel. I know that I love Isobelle Carmody’s writing, but this is the first truly young novel that I have read by her. It is also, weirdly enough, the first standalone story that I have read. And man, I wasn’t disappointed. This was one of those stories that left me thinking, contemplating and wondering long after I turned the final page. This is certainly one of those stories that lingers long after you finish, in the best way possible.

The fragmented nature of this story highlights Jack’s misunderstandings and confusion beautifully well. As do the mystical and dreamy scapes in which he moves – both the real world and the Greylands. The settings are so incredibly vivid and yet vague that you can see the hazy contrast perfectly in your minds eye, and it emphasises the symbolism behind Jack’s confusion and grief.

Even if you don’t fully understand what is happening throughout Jack’s adventure, the beginning, middle and end (literally named this) give a great account as to what the symbolism means. And also the ways in which this reality bisects with our own. Having the character write his own story is a new-to-me ideal, and I loved how well it worked.

Dealing with grief and issues of mental health can always be quite difficult. And there are few literary pieces I’ve found that deal with such topics in an open, accessible way. The fact that this is done in a language that young children can access is all the more impressive and is exactly what helps this story to linger in my mind’s eye so strongly.

[Jessica Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Isobelle Carmody has such a special place in my heart from pre-teen years and my teenager experience with literature. I remember distinctly reading this novel for the first time at about 13-14 and it utterly blowing my mind with its fantastical depiction of mental illness and trauma. I thought it was so scary back then, this imaginative grey world and dogs, I was honestly a bit spooked out. Re-reading it now as an adult, the themes of mental illness still hold up in such strengths, I'm certainly however less scared of the 'mirror world' so to speak lol.
A little blurred by nostalgia and love, I still loved this book and adore the author and all she writes.

[Ruth Garlick · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Greylands, by Isobelle Carmody, Jack’s mother died, leaving Jack feeling desperately sad. One night, he gets up to pee, looks in the mirror, and enters the greylands. There he meets Alice, a girl who is carrying a bundle and has many secrets.
For Jack to save his dad, who has been made empty by the loss of his wife, Jack must learn these secrets, and what the bundle contains.
This is a very, very sad short story dealing with the death of a loved one. And it touches subtly on suicide. It is haunting and beautiful, and really captures depression after a loved one has passed, well.

[Brit McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked this! Another from an excellent era in children's literature.

Jack's story is heartbreaking. He creates a dream world - The Greylands - in which he explores his grief and confusion surrounding his mother's death and his emotionally absent father. It is artfully crafted and a beautiful representation of how you can lose and find yourself again.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't work for me as YA, the central protagonist felt too young. Didn't work for me as allegorical for grief - the Greylands felt too much like a dream and reading dreams is a bit ho hum because you know it isn't really happening to the character. Interesting concept, but I think would work better as a full blown horror.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lovely little fable about two children understanding the death of their mother and why she made the decisions she did. The metaphor of the Greylands being a place you enter when you're wounded emotionally by something is a good one and the story has a surprising ending that makes a lot of sense.

[? ? · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a little boring at the beginning, but at the end it ended up being such a beautiful metaphor about grief and childhood abuse. I cried while in a zoom meeting because I was reading it at the same time.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolutely beautiful read. So much hidden, that really pulled at emotions. Can't believe I've put off reading this for so long.

[Kyla.Mcintosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book it had a lot of detail in it

[Mel Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow start, but a powerful ending. A hauntingly beautiful book which explores grief through the eyes of a child

[Anna Loder · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Isobelle Carmody and certainly not my last. What a haunting, atmospheric, beautiful read. Jack, Mario and Ellen feel like friends of mine now…

[Ron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Contains details about grief and depression. Definitely a book for high school readers.

[Davo · Rating 2 out of 5]

A bit of a sad book.

[Nica · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much love in these pages.

[Kim Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a very good YA book for an alternative way to cope and look at grief /depression/ death.
Great imagination

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, sad fantasy; heartfelt and terrible, but uplifting at the same time.

My only criticism is that I think the story would have been stronger if left to stand on its own, without the interjections of reality as Jack explains to Ellen what it means.

I don't usually read YA fiction, but I had a book of Isobelle Carmody's (The Gathering) that I had read many many years ago and still remember as one of my favorites. I had never read any of her books though, so I decided to seek them out. Her prose is beautifully poetic without ever straying towards purple, and should be accessible to both adults and younger readers, although children may find some of her themes and imagery quite frightening. (I'm pretty sure I was in elementary school when I first read The Gathering, but I always loved horror.)

[Heather Gallagher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this after hearing Isobelle speak at the CYA conference. She gave a very inspiring workshop on using the senses in writing. This book was quite creepy, bordering on horror but I enjoyed the interesting take on death. Coincidentally, we were studying life after death (ie.grieving) in book group and this fit with the theme nicely. The shifts between the 'real' world and the Greylands - a fantasy world that seemed to be a metaphor for grief - was well done. And I liked the characterisations, particularly of the mother - I think it's healthy for kids to read about flawed parents. My only criticism of this book was the 'book-ending' and a bit in the middle called 'middle' in which the narrator takes us out of the main story to tell us that it's all a story and what different things mean. I didn't think this was necessary and it detracted from the novel.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a book I read after enjoying "The Gathering" by the same author.

Jack's life has been turned upside down by the death of his mother. He, his father and sister are each dealing with their grief in their own way, and in the privileged world view of young Jack, we explore with him the mysteries around her death. The things unspoken, kept from him and his sister, which they nevertheless intuitively grasp.

But there is also a magical realism element to this story when he passes through a mirror into an alternative world, the Greylands, which are filled with strange colourless people, wolves and other beasts. He meets a strange and secretive girl, Alicia there, and hears the warnings about how he could be trapped, himself, in the Greylands forever.

This story is rich in metaphor, and written with a strong emotional current running throughout. Very nicely done.

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Carmody invites the reader into a physical world of loss and teaches that when dealing with death there will be grey times but life is about living and not to be wasted.

Jack drifts in between two worlds: the greylands and reality. When he thinks of his mother who has recently passed he is transported into the greylands and when he thinks of his little sister, he is transported back into reality. Through drifting between these two worlds he grows to understand why his mother killed herself and the reasons that led to her tragic fate which allows him to finally accept her death was an accident.

[Tracey Jago · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really made me look at grief in a new light. The metaphors are really great and once revealed it all makes perfect sense. My favourite metaphor is what Alice carries with her always. I never would have guessed what it was. It was one thing that really had me intrigued.

I got so involved with the story that when I reached “The Middle” chapter I remember that what I had been reading was a story within a story.

Isobelle has really done an awesome job writing this book. She really deserves a pat on the back for this great book that helps us understand how kids or even young people may deal with their own grief.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not another Dead Mother book, I thought bleakly, as I started the audio book. But it's so much more than that - it's a definitive portrayal of a child's grief and coping mechanisms. The frame story lets the reader know right away that the supernatural events are just a story made up by the protagonist to explain his feelings to his sister. And yet this doesn't detract from the power of the tale and the grip it has on the reader. Somehow the story manages to explore grief and mental illness realistically without being too depressing. Highly recommended for mature pre-teens upwards.

[Max Davine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most hauntingly beautiful nightmare I ever had. Carmody's prose conjures worlds with life and complexity in so few words the reader will soon forget they're reading words and start believing in their senses and experiences that they are really there, and this is happening to people right in front of them. No measure of fantasy or imagination is too far reaching that she cannot make it vivid and real. Added to that, the story unfolding in this dreamlike world is so achingly beautiful the reader will remember it long after the final words.

[Moopies · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this three stars, but i felt it was only okay. Very interesting subject mattter. There was an introduction by Isobelle Carmody, and she mentioned that the inspiration for the story is from her own life, she lost a parent when she was a child as well, so the book sort of goes through the grieving process for this little boy. Such saddness T~T but it was deffinitely and interesting read. Interesting how the world can lose its colour.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick read, but a story to dwell on for an age. a story about the guilt that comes when a loved one is lost, and grief. not much is revealed about the characters until towards the end of the book, which works with the story, but I would really need to reread to discover the depth of the metaphorical world and its beasts. well worth the read.

[Lauren Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Isobelle Carmody. Would have loved the book a whole lot more if I wasn't dealing with depression right now, because I didn't cotton on going in that I was going to be reading about depression and suicide. OOPS. She still deserves four stars though because it's not her fault I read it at a bad time and as usual her prose was fab and the story all fit together beautifully.