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Kokomo
'genuinely funny and heartbreaking' - VPLA judges
When Mina receives an urgent call from her best friend back in Melbourne, her world is turned upside down. Her agoraphobic mother, Elaine, has left the house for the first time in twelve years. Mina drops everything to fly home, only to discover that Elaine will not talk about her sudden return to the world, nor why she's spent so much time hiding from it. Their reunion leaves Mina raking through pieces of their painful past in a bid to uncover the truth.
Both tender and fierce, heartbreaking and funny, Kokomo is a story about how secrets and love have the power to bring us together and tear us apart.
235 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 28, 2020
110 people are currently reading
6206 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 399 reviews
August 11, 2020
It would appear I’m the only person who doesn’t love Kokomo. I’m having a real “am I reading the same book as everyone else?” moment. It took me a while to get into Kokomo: the opening pages are an abstruse ode to a penis, many characters are introduced at once (a pet hate of mine) and then we go back in time. A lot to wrap your head around. I struggled with the nonlinear narrative - it’s often really unclear whether something is a memory or a memory within a memory, or current day.
Something felt off to me. I think if Mina was 25 rather than 32 a lot of the storyline would have been more believable, such as the unrequited crush on a shitty coworker, the student houseparty she goes to with Kira, the dubious sexual encounters and especially her total inability to consult with any kind of medical or social services professional about her desperately unwell mother Elaine. The youth worker side of my brain couldn’t wrap my head around how those around Elaine continued to enable this behaviour for so long with a total lack of intervention, beyond casual conversations. From a psychological point of view, this plot line was really lacking (even after we hear some of the story from Elaine’s perspective). Other things don’t add up either, like Mina marveling at Shelly’s wealth then later revealing she earns £80k.
As for Eileen’s story - none of it was believable to me at all. Her connection with Arthur, the red herring character of Jeff, poor old oblivious Bill...it all just seemed ridiculous, including the reason she leaves the house.
There’s been so, so much hype around this book and unfortunately that means I’ve gone into it with high expectations. They’ve definitely fallen flat. Maybe I’m missing something.
Something felt off to me. I think if Mina was 25 rather than 32 a lot of the storyline would have been more believable, such as the unrequited crush on a shitty coworker, the student houseparty she goes to with Kira, the dubious sexual encounters and especially her total inability to consult with any kind of medical or social services professional about her desperately unwell mother Elaine. The youth worker side of my brain couldn’t wrap my head around how those around Elaine continued to enable this behaviour for so long with a total lack of intervention, beyond casual conversations. From a psychological point of view, this plot line was really lacking (even after we hear some of the story from Elaine’s perspective). Other things don’t add up either, like Mina marveling at Shelly’s wealth then later revealing she earns £80k.
As for Eileen’s story - none of it was believable to me at all. Her connection with Arthur, the red herring character of Jeff, poor old oblivious Bill...it all just seemed ridiculous, including the reason she leaves the house.
There’s been so, so much hype around this book and unfortunately that means I’ve gone into it with high expectations. They’ve definitely fallen flat. Maybe I’m missing something.
dnf
May 19, 2021dnf @ 78%. bruh if I have to hear this girl describe her shitty coworkers dick one more time......... anyways I was enjoying it at the start and then it took some turns and I just stopped caring so
May 16, 2020
Smart, funny, sad and hugely impressive, Kokomo tells the story of Mina, who abandons a promising career and relationship in London to return to Melbourne to be with her mother, who has left the house for the first time in seven years after shutting herself in when her husband died. Hannan writes like a dream and the book is particularly strong when you're in Mina's head, dealing with her frustration, sadness, regret and loneliness. She's a wonderful character - funny and sad, strong and deeply vulnerable. The shift to her mother's perspective in the latter part of the book took me by surprise, but ended up taking things to a whole new level - these characters will live in your brain for a long time after you finish the book.
December 24, 2019
A wistful, sexy, elegiac, messy journey through homecoming, mother-daughter relationships, and the ache of attempting to finally grow up in your thirties. Kokomo has light and shade and a surprising but entirely necessary midway shift in perspective. It’s horny and lonely and suffused with the Melbourne summer blues.
April 21, 2021
3.5
Kokomo is an interesting novel, about family, secrets, wistfulness and searching for something.
The novel starts off strong, better said, hard ;-), with Mina's exaltation over the erect penis of a colleague/friend. Each to their own, I guess.
Mina is a thirty-two years old Australian ex-pat working in a London ad agency.
When her best friend calls her with the news that her mother was spotted outside her house, Mina forgets about the resplendent penis and dashes back to Melbourne, Australia to find out what happened to make her mum step outside her house after twelve years of self-confinement, following the death of her husband and father of her only child.
Mina's return brings back memories of better times and sadder times.
Eventually, Mina finds out her mother's secret. Will that bring them closer or keep them apart?
Kokomo ponders what is love, the what-ifs, how life never turns up the way we imagined it would.
It was imperfect, but it had plenty of strong moments to keep me reading.
Kokomo is an interesting novel, about family, secrets, wistfulness and searching for something.
The novel starts off strong, better said, hard ;-), with Mina's exaltation over the erect penis of a colleague/friend. Each to their own, I guess.
Mina is a thirty-two years old Australian ex-pat working in a London ad agency.
When her best friend calls her with the news that her mother was spotted outside her house, Mina forgets about the resplendent penis and dashes back to Melbourne, Australia to find out what happened to make her mum step outside her house after twelve years of self-confinement, following the death of her husband and father of her only child.
Mina's return brings back memories of better times and sadder times.
Eventually, Mina finds out her mother's secret. Will that bring them closer or keep them apart?
Kokomo ponders what is love, the what-ifs, how life never turns up the way we imagined it would.
It was imperfect, but it had plenty of strong moments to keep me reading.
January 19, 2020
I don’t often reread books but I will reread this again. And again. Kokomo is a beautifully observed book about longing, loneliness and love—Hannan does not flinch, does not look away, especially when it would be easier to.
Kokomo shows us that we all have blanks to be confronted, especially in our own perceptions of the people we assume to know best. In friendships, in family and in love. Amazing.
Kokomo shows us that we all have blanks to be confronted, especially in our own perceptions of the people we assume to know best. In friendships, in family and in love. Amazing.
June 4, 2021
3.5 I liked this but SO UNSATISFIED with how it ended
September 27, 2020
I really wanted to love this but for some reason I couldn't connect with it. I've tried to pick apart why it is but I can't seem to figure it out. I feel like Elaine: '[she] shuffled through the thoughts in her head, lined them up like Scrabble tiles on a rack, trying to find the best words'. My feelings on the book feel hazy - I can't seem to grab at the cause of my dissatisfaction. I thought the writing was evocative and well done. The characters were well-rounded. I was interested in the themes of loss, longing and family. There wasn't much plot but that usually doesn't bother me. I normally love a story where we get a second perspective halfway through but this time I couldn't seem to muster up the will to care. I think all of this is more about me than the book - maybe it just wasn't what I needed right now. Despite all that, I'm still keen to see what Victoria Hannan does next!
February 1, 2021
I was quite disappointed in this book, given all the hype that surrounded it. These are my main issues:
- The characters, especially Mina and Elaine, were virtually indistinguishable from each other
- The character motivations were incredibly unrealistic
- The relationship between mother and daughter was totally unbelievable (especially for a stable home, one-child family)
- The big 'reveal' was not interesting
- The ending implied that everything had suddenly been resolved without anything actually being resolved
- The sex scenes were really odd, like something out of 'Belinda Blinked', and the rest of the scenes were just bland
I did like some of the descriptions and it was very quick and easy to read, but ultimately lacked the depth that you usually would find in a work of literary fiction that relies on characters rather than plot.
- The characters, especially Mina and Elaine, were virtually indistinguishable from each other
- The character motivations were incredibly unrealistic
- The relationship between mother and daughter was totally unbelievable (especially for a stable home, one-child family)
- The big 'reveal' was not interesting
- The ending implied that everything had suddenly been resolved without anything actually being resolved
- The sex scenes were really odd, like something out of 'Belinda Blinked', and the rest of the scenes were just bland
I did like some of the descriptions and it was very quick and easy to read, but ultimately lacked the depth that you usually would find in a work of literary fiction that relies on characters rather than plot.
July 12, 2020
Hoping to review this for @audreymagazineau so all I will say here is I was lucky enough to read this while judging the Victorian Premier’s Literary Awards in 2019. Within the first few chapters I knew it would be my pick to win the prize. When you’re very lucky, something this good is put in front of you and you just know. We judges were very lucky. Do whatever you have to do to get your hands on Kokomo out through @hachetteaus on July 28.
June 4, 2020
I am floored. Victoria is an exceptionally gifted writer. There is so much to this book. Read it!
June 26, 2021
It was not her heart, she realised, but her phone vibrating against an empty, forever-yellowed Tupperware container in her bag. “Leave it”, Jack said, the darkness of love in his voice.
This poorly written excerpt on Kokomo’s back cover should have sent alarm bells ringing for me, much like its opening pages.
The novel begins with a near-sexual encounter that sounds like it’s written from the perspective of a 16 year old girl. The protagonist’s poetic ode to an erect penis becomes even more bizarre when you realise that she is actually 32 years old.
I pushed through, hoping that this novel would go on to explore the complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships, agoraphobia and related mental health issues. Instead, it gave a cringeworthy account of unrequited crushes and melodramatic longings.
In a vein similar to Jessie Tu’s A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing, this book was surrounded by hype. I just didn't get it.
This poorly written excerpt on Kokomo’s back cover should have sent alarm bells ringing for me, much like its opening pages.
The novel begins with a near-sexual encounter that sounds like it’s written from the perspective of a 16 year old girl. The protagonist’s poetic ode to an erect penis becomes even more bizarre when you realise that she is actually 32 years old.
I pushed through, hoping that this novel would go on to explore the complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships, agoraphobia and related mental health issues. Instead, it gave a cringeworthy account of unrequited crushes and melodramatic longings.
In a vein similar to Jessie Tu’s A Lonely Girl is a Dangerous Thing, this book was surrounded by hype. I just didn't get it.
September 16, 2020
I’ve been reviewing and talking about lots of great Aussie debuts recently - and i’m pleased to be able to recommend this one and add it to that list! Kokomo has been described as tender, raw and powerful and i cannot agree more.
It follows Mina, her mum Elaine, and their neighbours - the Chengs. Mina decides to return home to Melbourne from London after she’s told that Elaine - who has shown signs of agoraphobia - has finally left the house after 12 years.
The novel itself quietly explores a number of themes like longing, desire, female friendship, family secrets, and grief. But most of all, it’s so beautifully written, which i value above all else in a book. The first half of the book did feel a bit slower for me, then the second half was what really sucked me in. The change of POV was refreshing and a pleasant surprise!
This book is for you if, like me, you enjoy stories that are character- rather than plot-driven, and have the ability to hit you right in the feels!
It follows Mina, her mum Elaine, and their neighbours - the Chengs. Mina decides to return home to Melbourne from London after she’s told that Elaine - who has shown signs of agoraphobia - has finally left the house after 12 years.
The novel itself quietly explores a number of themes like longing, desire, female friendship, family secrets, and grief. But most of all, it’s so beautifully written, which i value above all else in a book. The first half of the book did feel a bit slower for me, then the second half was what really sucked me in. The change of POV was refreshing and a pleasant surprise!
This book is for you if, like me, you enjoy stories that are character- rather than plot-driven, and have the ability to hit you right in the feels!
March 28, 2021
Well I get the hype I do, while no not a five star read for me I still thoroughly enjoyed this book and it’s play on emotions.
Hannan’s way of words was beautiful and I really enjoyed the style this book was written in.
I’ve never read a book like this before, it started slowly but the writing and descriptions on human emotions and how we deal with situations, specially the dynamic between mother and daughter was stunning.
I do recommend picking up this book if you’ve been thinking about it.
4 stars.
October 22, 2020
I didn’t like this one as much as I thought I would, or as much as others seem to have liked it. There were a few really poignant moments between Valerie and Elaine and some beautifully written paragraphs, but on the whole this one fell a bit flat for me.
‘Kokomo’ is set in Melbourne, Australia and examines the fractured mother-daughter relationship between Mina and Elaine. Mina has been living and working in London and receives a call that her agoraphobic mother has left the house for the first time in twelve years. Mina rushes home to Melbourne to find out why Elaine went into hiding in the first place.
At its core, ‘Kokomo’ is a story about longing. Each of the characters yearn for something - closure, success, a love that is reciprocated. I can see the appeal of this book for many, especially with it being set in Melbourne (I love Aus-Lit for the sense of familiarity and comfort it brings me - especially during lockdown when I can’t venture out to my city!)
But there are a number of things I didn’t enjoy about the book. Firstly, the reason why Elaine finally left the house wasn’t plausible to me, same with the most part of her storyline. I also felt that, although there were moments of intricacy in Hannan’s writing, a lot of it felt stilted. Now, I don’t shy away from crudeness in books when it is done well, but here… it just felt strange? The ode to penis at the beginning and subsequent descriptors throughout were… just puzzling.
I can confirm you will not like most of the characters in this book and that’s OK! Personally I don’t think we have to love the characters in a book to enjoy it as a whole. In fact, some of my favourite books have main characters that I despise! But there was a lot about this book that didn’t add up. For me, a book either needs to make me feel something or teach me something for me to be able to recommend it. Unfortunately, this won’t be one I’m recommending.
‘Kokomo’ is set in Melbourne, Australia and examines the fractured mother-daughter relationship between Mina and Elaine. Mina has been living and working in London and receives a call that her agoraphobic mother has left the house for the first time in twelve years. Mina rushes home to Melbourne to find out why Elaine went into hiding in the first place.
At its core, ‘Kokomo’ is a story about longing. Each of the characters yearn for something - closure, success, a love that is reciprocated. I can see the appeal of this book for many, especially with it being set in Melbourne (I love Aus-Lit for the sense of familiarity and comfort it brings me - especially during lockdown when I can’t venture out to my city!)
But there are a number of things I didn’t enjoy about the book. Firstly, the reason why Elaine finally left the house wasn’t plausible to me, same with the most part of her storyline. I also felt that, although there were moments of intricacy in Hannan’s writing, a lot of it felt stilted. Now, I don’t shy away from crudeness in books when it is done well, but here… it just felt strange? The ode to penis at the beginning and subsequent descriptors throughout were… just puzzling.
I can confirm you will not like most of the characters in this book and that’s OK! Personally I don’t think we have to love the characters in a book to enjoy it as a whole. In fact, some of my favourite books have main characters that I despise! But there was a lot about this book that didn’t add up. For me, a book either needs to make me feel something or teach me something for me to be able to recommend it. Unfortunately, this won’t be one I’m recommending.
November 29, 2020
“Kokomo, we'll get there fast and then we'll take it slow. That's where we want to go, way down in Kokomo”
I utterly adored this book. Mina received an urgent call from her best friend back in Melbourne telling her that her mother has finally left the house for the first time in 12 years. Mina stops having sex with her creative director and books the next flight home from London.
After dropping everything and running home to be with her mother who she hadn’t seen in 7 years, her mother continues ignoring her never wanting to talk. Mina knows she’s hiding something and she wants to get to the bottom of it and along the way find some answers for herself.
It was so hard to write this one without spoilers but my goodness I devoured this novel in one sitting. The writing format is simply wonderful, the first half of the book is told from Mina’s point of view then it changes over to her mother Elaine’s point of view and ties up wonderfully at the end flicking back to Mina’s view. @victorialhannan for your debut novel you knocked it out of the park!
I utterly adored this book. Mina received an urgent call from her best friend back in Melbourne telling her that her mother has finally left the house for the first time in 12 years. Mina stops having sex with her creative director and books the next flight home from London.
After dropping everything and running home to be with her mother who she hadn’t seen in 7 years, her mother continues ignoring her never wanting to talk. Mina knows she’s hiding something and she wants to get to the bottom of it and along the way find some answers for herself.
It was so hard to write this one without spoilers but my goodness I devoured this novel in one sitting. The writing format is simply wonderful, the first half of the book is told from Mina’s point of view then it changes over to her mother Elaine’s point of view and ties up wonderfully at the end flicking back to Mina’s view. @victorialhannan for your debut novel you knocked it out of the park!
July 10, 2021
The worst.
Puerile and predictable.
Unfortunately for me, someone in my book club put this selection up for this month's read. I knew I was in trouble when the first few paragraphs were the rapt description of a man's penis. An author who chooses to begin her book with this is just a lazy writer for me.
Then she continues to introduce characters with no context. Who are all these people and why are they? Kira and Mina are indistinguishable (except that Kira has new tits and is so much thinner!), characters' motivations are ridiculous, and then the big reveal at the end is so much of a yawn. There is such a lack of imagination and curiosity here that I am horrified that this won the Premier's Literary Award and has been touted as "the millennial novel". I am offended on behalf of millennials.
Why was this written? More importantly, why was this published?
This book should be released with a content warning: Reading this is damaging to healthy brain function.
0 stars
Puerile and predictable.
Unfortunately for me, someone in my book club put this selection up for this month's read. I knew I was in trouble when the first few paragraphs were the rapt description of a man's penis. An author who chooses to begin her book with this is just a lazy writer for me.
Then she continues to introduce characters with no context. Who are all these people and why are they? Kira and Mina are indistinguishable (except that Kira has new tits and is so much thinner!), characters' motivations are ridiculous, and then the big reveal at the end is so much of a yawn. There is such a lack of imagination and curiosity here that I am horrified that this won the Premier's Literary Award and has been touted as "the millennial novel". I am offended on behalf of millennials.
Why was this written? More importantly, why was this published?
This book should be released with a content warning: Reading this is damaging to healthy brain function.
0 stars
August 15, 2020
Kokomo just felt so real, I loved every minute of reading this beautiful book. The writing was so pure and such a joy. The characters felt like people you know, the story, raw.
August 24, 2020
What started out as a less self-deprecating Bridget Jones, turned into so much more for me. This book surprised me and told a story I hadn't heard before. After a slow-ish start, the plot and writing matured and was suddenly highlighting the different ways humans love each other, the stories we tell ourselves, and the reality that we're all 'same same but different'; Mother and daughter alike. I particularly enjoyed the complexities of Elaine, an unapologetic middle-aged woman and mother. So often in fiction, this demographic is written as pathetic, apologetic, and lost, needing to be saved by a man. Despite how on the surface Elaine may have appeared to be all of the above, she in fact had a purpose, a method to her madness, and made no apologies despite her struggles with how her actions affected others.
Oh, and starting a book with a graphic description of a penis? I'm here for that.
Oh, and starting a book with a graphic description of a penis? I'm here for that.
January 2, 2021
This started off with a hilariously bizarre ode to penis. In particular, the main character's boyfriend's penis. She goes on and on about it. I mean, it must be a fucking amazing penis to inspire so much admiration. Shortly after she is done with the penis, she moves on to admiring her friend's fake new breasts, poking, prodding and cupping and judging those. I don't think she ended up serenading the breasts but maybe she did - I turned off the audiobook because I couldn't take it seriously. Come the fuck on. No one likes penises THAT much. And here I must quote Dylan Moran:
Historically there hasn't been a big demand for male lingerie - from women. Because there's a limited amount you can do with male genitalia. There's a limited amount you can do with *anything* that looks like it's hanging out of the side of a shark's mouth. Doesn't really matter if you put a velvet gown around it - it's not going to do the trick.
Historically there hasn't been a big demand for male lingerie - from women. Because there's a limited amount you can do with male genitalia. There's a limited amount you can do with *anything* that looks like it's hanging out of the side of a shark's mouth. Doesn't really matter if you put a velvet gown around it - it's not going to do the trick.
February 13, 2021
So many people loved this book - I was sure that I would too. Winner of the Victorian Premier’s Literary Award’s unpublished manuscript award, Kokomo was authentically Melbourne. It’s about familial love.
While beautiful writing, it didn’t hold my interest. I struggled to stay focused with the characters, plot and flow.
My favourite thing about of this book was the way Victoria Hannan wrote about place. Her descriptions of Melbourne and London were really vivid and I felt I was there.
I listened to the audiobook and I felt it was hard to distinguish between Elaine and Mina’s ‘ points of view. Perhaps I’d feel different if I had read the text.
My rating doesn’t reflect the writing - it reflects my enjoyment of the book.
While beautiful writing, it didn’t hold my interest. I struggled to stay focused with the characters, plot and flow.
My favourite thing about of this book was the way Victoria Hannan wrote about place. Her descriptions of Melbourne and London were really vivid and I felt I was there.
I listened to the audiobook and I felt it was hard to distinguish between Elaine and Mina’s ‘ points of view. Perhaps I’d feel different if I had read the text.
My rating doesn’t reflect the writing - it reflects my enjoyment of the book.
July 22, 2020
Wowowow. Full review on Instagram at @polyreader 🙏🏼
September 20, 2023
Since finishing this book, I've held off writing this review to let my thoughts on the novel distil and settle. Alas, I still hate it. I have no problem with flawed characters (I love 'em). Yet, when the entire story revolves around the arc of two people you neither like, believe or understand, we have trouble.
Let's start with the central character of Mina. She comes across as incredibly immature and childlike. I struggled to connect her with her supposed capacities in the workplace. I found her immaturity baffling, whether the opening (clumsy) ode to a 'perfect penis' (on a supreme dick), through to her nightlife habits, childish avoidance of conflict or a complete incapacity to connect in-depth with those around her.
I waited for the narrative arc to swing around with some form of revelation or resolution explaining events.
There are other irritations. What was the point of the Shelly character and her husband if it was to go nowhere? Are we meant to accept that Elaine's trauma was due to that small an issue? Given its initial prominence, the author seems ambivalent towards the corrosive effects of social media. How are we supposed to feel about Kira's Instagram? It is a bit rich to give us a monologue right at the end on the injurious effects of facile and shallow culture in the mouths of an Instagram bikini model and a marketing executive. What on Earth are we to make of Valerie? What is her deal?
I'll stop now. I'm giving it one and a half stars because I made it to the end, vaingloriously expecting some outcome that might explain things. While I'd be happy with unresolved trauma and no hope of anything beyond the fucked up muddling through (honestly, these are my favourite endings), we got THAT!?! Heaven help us if this is what passes for 'resolution' in the minds of the next generation!
⭐ 1/2
Let's start with the central character of Mina. She comes across as incredibly immature and childlike. I struggled to connect her with her supposed capacities in the workplace. I found her immaturity baffling, whether the opening (clumsy) ode to a 'perfect penis' (on a supreme dick), through to her nightlife habits, childish avoidance of conflict or a complete incapacity to connect in-depth with those around her.
I waited for the narrative arc to swing around with some form of revelation or resolution explaining events.
There are other irritations. What was the point of the Shelly character and her husband if it was to go nowhere? Are we meant to accept that Elaine's trauma was due to that small an issue? Given its initial prominence, the author seems ambivalent towards the corrosive effects of social media. How are we supposed to feel about Kira's Instagram? It is a bit rich to give us a monologue right at the end on the injurious effects of facile and shallow culture in the mouths of an Instagram bikini model and a marketing executive. What on Earth are we to make of Valerie? What is her deal?
I'll stop now. I'm giving it one and a half stars because I made it to the end, vaingloriously expecting some outcome that might explain things. While I'd be happy with unresolved trauma and no hope of anything beyond the fucked up muddling through (honestly, these are my favourite endings), we got THAT!?! Heaven help us if this is what passes for 'resolution' in the minds of the next generation!
⭐ 1/2
September 1, 2020
What eventually anchors the travellers of the world, or returns the travellers to their origins, is family. Kokomo is an assured debut novel that has much to say about how a chance connection can alter a person forever in ways that may not ever be noticed by anyone else.
Mina’s life is just about to take off. She has the great job, she has the sparkling London life, and she has recently begun something with her gorgeous office husband Jake. Receiving a call that her mother back in Melbourne was spotted outside of the family home for the first time in years brings Mina crashing back to earth. She immediately jumps on a plane.
Mina and Kira always knew that they that were best friends for life. Kira understood why Mina had to leave Australia after the death of her father, more so than Mina’s boyfriend of the time who chose to stay behind. Kira’s mother Valerie welcomes Mina home like a long lost daughter, and once again Mina reflects that her family life was never like that of the Chengs.
Finding out that her colleague (and work husband) back in London has used her absence to leapfrog his way to a promotion that should have been hers sends Mina into a spiral. This is exactly the time when Mina needs Elaine to actually interact and act like a loving mother, rather than someone frozen in the past with little to say or explain. Elaine has her reasons, even if she is not able to articulate them to herself or anyone else.
Kokomo is one of those books that perhaps needed to find its feet a little earlier in the piece that it did. There is a need to push on through the first few chapters, which give the impression that the reader is in for angsty ride about the agonies of the hard done by and disillusioned youth. Kokomo warms to itself and becomes a lot more.
The arrogance of the young assuming that their parents never had to face the same challenges as themselves is a universal experience gently explored in Kokomo. That you can never really return home the same person you were before you left is gradually realized by Mina, who wished she was a part of another family whilst being oblivious to the turmoil being invisibly experienced in her own.
Kokomo is a gently written novel about the power of love and duty, family loyalties and lifechanging battles quietly fought, unseen.
Mina’s life is just about to take off. She has the great job, she has the sparkling London life, and she has recently begun something with her gorgeous office husband Jake. Receiving a call that her mother back in Melbourne was spotted outside of the family home for the first time in years brings Mina crashing back to earth. She immediately jumps on a plane.
Mina and Kira always knew that they that were best friends for life. Kira understood why Mina had to leave Australia after the death of her father, more so than Mina’s boyfriend of the time who chose to stay behind. Kira’s mother Valerie welcomes Mina home like a long lost daughter, and once again Mina reflects that her family life was never like that of the Chengs.
Finding out that her colleague (and work husband) back in London has used her absence to leapfrog his way to a promotion that should have been hers sends Mina into a spiral. This is exactly the time when Mina needs Elaine to actually interact and act like a loving mother, rather than someone frozen in the past with little to say or explain. Elaine has her reasons, even if she is not able to articulate them to herself or anyone else.
Kokomo is one of those books that perhaps needed to find its feet a little earlier in the piece that it did. There is a need to push on through the first few chapters, which give the impression that the reader is in for angsty ride about the agonies of the hard done by and disillusioned youth. Kokomo warms to itself and becomes a lot more.
The arrogance of the young assuming that their parents never had to face the same challenges as themselves is a universal experience gently explored in Kokomo. That you can never really return home the same person you were before you left is gradually realized by Mina, who wished she was a part of another family whilst being oblivious to the turmoil being invisibly experienced in her own.
Kokomo is a gently written novel about the power of love and duty, family loyalties and lifechanging battles quietly fought, unseen.
March 31, 2021
“She wanted this. This new understanding that love was never everything you wanted or needed it to be. It was uncontrollable, it misbehaved. It tethered you but helped make you free.”
Holy shit this book. It took me like nothing has taken me for quite a while. It moved at a simmering pace through the first part; we follow and move with Mina, her thoughts and struggles as she travels home to be with her mother who has recently left the house for the first time in twelve years. The second part sees us swept into Elaine’s world and the separate lives she has been living for the past few decades. This section of the book was astonishing and left such an impression on me. It well encapsulated the intertwined lives of parents and children as well as the unknown life that a parent carries separate to their children - a life children often give little to no thought of until they’re a parent themselves. To journey with Mina through to the end as she makes the realisation of her unawareness of Elaine’s life aside from her existence was a truly wonderful journey to make with Mina, especially as she gains understanding and develops acceptance of a life she had never given much real thought or consideration to. As a daughter, I truly adored this book. It has taught me so much.
4.5 stars.
Holy shit this book. It took me like nothing has taken me for quite a while. It moved at a simmering pace through the first part; we follow and move with Mina, her thoughts and struggles as she travels home to be with her mother who has recently left the house for the first time in twelve years. The second part sees us swept into Elaine’s world and the separate lives she has been living for the past few decades. This section of the book was astonishing and left such an impression on me. It well encapsulated the intertwined lives of parents and children as well as the unknown life that a parent carries separate to their children - a life children often give little to no thought of until they’re a parent themselves. To journey with Mina through to the end as she makes the realisation of her unawareness of Elaine’s life aside from her existence was a truly wonderful journey to make with Mina, especially as she gains understanding and develops acceptance of a life she had never given much real thought or consideration to. As a daughter, I truly adored this book. It has taught me so much.
4.5 stars.
January 31, 2021
I have so many issues with this book due to it being so hyped up. The author wants you to believe there are important constructs to talk about (family, love, loss etc) but doesn’t do any of those! You finally get to the answer of why Elaine has never left the house, but the author makes it a non event. The Red herring of Jeff was a waste of time if the author wasn’t willing to lean into the lack of love Elaine received as a child and the role models of why she loved Arthur? Why is Mina, a 32 year old well educated women made to behave like a child in her relationships with men but again not explained at all? Especially coming from a female author that is disappointing. Not one redeeming quality in any character. And seriously trying to end the book with some philosophical “this troubled and imperfect thing. This”?
This book was so basic.
This book was so basic.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2020
I'd had Kokomo by Victoria Hannan for quite a while before I picked it up to read. It'd been garnering a lot of praise from from bookstagrammers, bloggers and reviewers so—although the cover looked like something out of Fifty Shades of Grey—I decided to give it a try.
And in all honesty I almost put it down after the first couple of pages. They were almost entirely focused on the attractiveness of a penis and it wasn't until later I realised our narrator was drunk so can possibly be forgiven for the puerile stream of consciousness blithering.
Thankfully however, we soon moved into the plot of the book and I was able to settle into the story.
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
And in all honesty I almost put it down after the first couple of pages. They were almost entirely focused on the attractiveness of a penis and it wasn't until later I realised our narrator was drunk so can possibly be forgiven for the puerile stream of consciousness blithering.
Thankfully however, we soon moved into the plot of the book and I was able to settle into the story.
Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...
February 7, 2021
With sharp and graceful writing, this novel explores grief, longing, and the relationship between mothers and daughters.
Mina arrives back in Melbourne after seven year in London, longing for the missed opportunity of sex with her co-worker, after a call to say her mother had finally left the house. However, there is no immediate connection between the two women, as they battle through their own grief to try and tell each other the truth of her emotional being. Mina reconnects with her friends, flings and crushes of the past - mostly ending in disaster, embarrassment or arguments - to find herself back at home and no longer angry at herself, her mother and the world - wanting time of quiet, truth and healing.
I had great difficulty connecting with these characters - especially when Mina was seemingly hellbent on harshly judging others, obsessing over men who used her, and being generally self destructive - however, once my everyday stress eased I easily slipped into the narrative and adored the ending.
Mina arrives back in Melbourne after seven year in London, longing for the missed opportunity of sex with her co-worker, after a call to say her mother had finally left the house. However, there is no immediate connection between the two women, as they battle through their own grief to try and tell each other the truth of her emotional being. Mina reconnects with her friends, flings and crushes of the past - mostly ending in disaster, embarrassment or arguments - to find herself back at home and no longer angry at herself, her mother and the world - wanting time of quiet, truth and healing.
I had great difficulty connecting with these characters - especially when Mina was seemingly hellbent on harshly judging others, obsessing over men who used her, and being generally self destructive - however, once my everyday stress eased I easily slipped into the narrative and adored the ending.
January 19, 2022
What a breath of fresh air this book was!
Kokomo tells the story of Mina, in her 20s and working in London, who gets a call from a friend back in Melbourne to tell Mina that her mother has left the house for the first time in 12 years. Mina rushes back to Melbourne to find out what’s prompted this change in behaviour by her mum. Mina herself hasn’t been back home in 7 years. A lot has changed but there is much that’s the same. That’s it In a nutshell and I was completely engaged in this journey.
Told with humour, great dialogue, and a lot of heart. The relationships in this book were so flawed but incredibly genuine. It was the first book in a long time where I wanted to stay up reading it.
However, on the scale of ‘would I lend it to my mum’ I think the answer would have to be no because there’s a bit of sex and a lot of penis talk in these pages :)
Kokomo tells the story of Mina, in her 20s and working in London, who gets a call from a friend back in Melbourne to tell Mina that her mother has left the house for the first time in 12 years. Mina rushes back to Melbourne to find out what’s prompted this change in behaviour by her mum. Mina herself hasn’t been back home in 7 years. A lot has changed but there is much that’s the same. That’s it In a nutshell and I was completely engaged in this journey.
Told with humour, great dialogue, and a lot of heart. The relationships in this book were so flawed but incredibly genuine. It was the first book in a long time where I wanted to stay up reading it.
However, on the scale of ‘would I lend it to my mum’ I think the answer would have to be no because there’s a bit of sex and a lot of penis talk in these pages :)
June 25, 2022
Airport read
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