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The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp
The unpublished manuscript was the winner of the 2022 Tessa Duder a powerful exploration of guilt, forgiveness, choice and personal responsibility.
Hannah Kemp is dealing with a traumatic accident for which she was responsible. Struggling to come to terms with her guilt, she is ostracized in a community that condemns her. She deals with this by rebelling and pushing away anyone that offers kindness or seeks to understand her. Crippled by her own guilt and anger, she comes across a mobile library bus where every book is the true story of someone’s life, and realizes that judgement of others is almost always shallow and uninformed. When she finds her own book … she also finds that her past can reshape her present.
Hannah Kemp is dealing with a traumatic accident for which she was responsible. Struggling to come to terms with her guilt, she is ostracized in a community that condemns her. She deals with this by rebelling and pushing away anyone that offers kindness or seeks to understand her. Crippled by her own guilt and anger, she comes across a mobile library bus where every book is the true story of someone’s life, and realizes that judgement of others is almost always shallow and uninformed. When she finds her own book … she also finds that her past can reshape her present.
258 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 5, 2023
11 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
April 12, 2023
I devoured this emotional, tense, incredible book and loved every minute. I loved the idea of the mysterious mobile library and the impossible stories that could be found inside. Hannah is a richly layered character who makes lots of mistakes but who you still root for. Leonie Agnew is one of my favourite NZ authors because each of her books is so unique and The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp is certainly unique.
May 13, 2023
Content warnings: miscarriage caused by a car accident, underage drinking, ableism, extreme fatphobia, others that I didn't see because I DNFed, picked it back up, and DNFed again.
This book.
You aren't going to like this review, if you read this.
But this is a book that should not have been published. HOW on earth it won an award is beyond me.
Hannah, our MC, is one of the most unlikeable characters I have come across in a long time. Now, before you come at me - I like unlikeable characters. Well written ones. Ones that actually learn from their mistakes and aren't the victim all of the time. Hannah is none of these things.
Hannah at 15 years old, is the town pariah. She caused an accident by throwing a jumper out of a very fast moving bus window. The jumper hit the car in the next lane, causing that driver to get into an accident and have a miscarriage.
Hannah shows no remorse over this. But that's okay! Because she has past tRaUmA from her biological mum that she doesn't even remember.
Hannah, still showing zero remorse for her actions, and being the most put upon person in her whole entire town, and making sure EVERYONE knows that she is the victim here, has to do community service for her crime. That's it. Just community service.
Hannah meets a woman who has a mobile library. Hannah immediately calls her a whale in internal dialogue. It is 2023 why the fuck is fat shaming still happening in published books. As a fat person, I am used to the level of hate I get for my mere existence. However, it a YOUNG person, who this book is the target audience for, were to pick this book up, they would be shamed MULTIPLE times for their body type. So that shouldn't have passed the editing stage, either. Speaking of editing, this entire book needed serious editing lol.
Blah, blah, blah.
Hannah demands that the woman whose miscarriage she caused forgive her.
Hannah doesn't deserve that forgiveness - she does nothing throughout the entire novel to even show that she's sorry for what happened, or even show the woman that she's sorry. Like, fucking hell, Hannah, you are NOT the victim here. Christ.
Anyway. Don't read this book. It will leave you feeling worse about yourself for just existing.
This book.
You aren't going to like this review, if you read this.
But this is a book that should not have been published. HOW on earth it won an award is beyond me.
Hannah, our MC, is one of the most unlikeable characters I have come across in a long time. Now, before you come at me - I like unlikeable characters. Well written ones. Ones that actually learn from their mistakes and aren't the victim all of the time. Hannah is none of these things.
Hannah at 15 years old, is the town pariah. She caused an accident by throwing a jumper out of a very fast moving bus window. The jumper hit the car in the next lane, causing that driver to get into an accident and have a miscarriage.
Hannah shows no remorse over this. But that's okay! Because she has past tRaUmA from her biological mum that she doesn't even remember.
Hannah, still showing zero remorse for her actions, and being the most put upon person in her whole entire town, and making sure EVERYONE knows that she is the victim here, has to do community service for her crime. That's it. Just community service.
Hannah meets a woman who has a mobile library. Hannah immediately calls her a whale in internal dialogue. It is 2023 why the fuck is fat shaming still happening in published books. As a fat person, I am used to the level of hate I get for my mere existence. However, it a YOUNG person, who this book is the target audience for, were to pick this book up, they would be shamed MULTIPLE times for their body type. So that shouldn't have passed the editing stage, either. Speaking of editing, this entire book needed serious editing lol.
Blah, blah, blah.
Hannah demands that the woman whose miscarriage she caused forgive her.
Hannah doesn't deserve that forgiveness - she does nothing throughout the entire novel to even show that she's sorry for what happened, or even show the woman that she's sorry. Like, fucking hell, Hannah, you are NOT the victim here. Christ.
Anyway. Don't read this book. It will leave you feeling worse about yourself for just existing.
April 26, 2023
The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp vibrates with a contained urgency that kept me coming back over 3 nights of keen reading. I was gripped from the get go, primarily because of Hannah’s acerbic wit. She is rude, reactive, impulsive, smart, mouthy, bold in her defiance, not remotely interested in the good opinion of others and always on the brink of starting a fight. She says and does all the things I would never have the balls to say or do and I found that compelling. It’s enormously gratifying living vicariously through Hannah’s sass.
Hannah has ISSUES and rightly so. Her backstory is raw, adopted at the age of 4 after the neglect of an addict mother placed her in the kind of peril that left a permanent mark. Hannah is claustrophobic-leading to the event of a dreadful accident (the details of which are artfully drip fed through the course of the story) which Hannah is now paying for as the town pariah.
Hannah’s yearning for forgiveness paired with her incapacity to actually ask for it and her tendency to behave in the opposite manner to ensure people hate her is written with such tenderness and authenticity that I could not help but root for this deeply flawed and human heroine.
I am a big fan of speculative storytelling and Hannah’s impossible story poses the question: what if you stumbled upon a book that told the details of your life? Or the lives of the people in your town? Hannah visits a mysterious mobile library where the books seem riddled with impossible truths, specific memories, details of events that no one could know but they are all laid out in black and white. Naturally, she wonders if she is going mad or if someone is playing a trick or if some weirdo is going around spying on her life and recording the details.
The weirdness reaches capacity when it appears that the characters from her book are springing to life, sneaking into her room and moving into the flat downstairs. Hannah, in her sardonic, snappy way, finds herself swept up into a mystery where the unfolding truth reveals repressed trauma and a path to unexpected healing.
What I’m here for in a major way is Leonie Agnew’s deft turn of phrase, her fearless imagery and her delicious metaphors. I LOVE writing that makes me pause and linger over a line here and there. There are many such lines to be savored, page after page. Yet the time taken to build a beautiful image does not hamper the pace rather the story whips along and the final third is particularly un-put-downable.
Hannah has ISSUES and rightly so. Her backstory is raw, adopted at the age of 4 after the neglect of an addict mother placed her in the kind of peril that left a permanent mark. Hannah is claustrophobic-leading to the event of a dreadful accident (the details of which are artfully drip fed through the course of the story) which Hannah is now paying for as the town pariah.
Hannah’s yearning for forgiveness paired with her incapacity to actually ask for it and her tendency to behave in the opposite manner to ensure people hate her is written with such tenderness and authenticity that I could not help but root for this deeply flawed and human heroine.
I am a big fan of speculative storytelling and Hannah’s impossible story poses the question: what if you stumbled upon a book that told the details of your life? Or the lives of the people in your town? Hannah visits a mysterious mobile library where the books seem riddled with impossible truths, specific memories, details of events that no one could know but they are all laid out in black and white. Naturally, she wonders if she is going mad or if someone is playing a trick or if some weirdo is going around spying on her life and recording the details.
The weirdness reaches capacity when it appears that the characters from her book are springing to life, sneaking into her room and moving into the flat downstairs. Hannah, in her sardonic, snappy way, finds herself swept up into a mystery where the unfolding truth reveals repressed trauma and a path to unexpected healing.
What I’m here for in a major way is Leonie Agnew’s deft turn of phrase, her fearless imagery and her delicious metaphors. I LOVE writing that makes me pause and linger over a line here and there. There are many such lines to be savored, page after page. Yet the time taken to build a beautiful image does not hamper the pace rather the story whips along and the final third is particularly un-put-downable.
October 14, 2024
موضوع کتاب و ایده کلیش خیلی قشنگ بود اما چون موضعات فرعی رو توش گنجونده بود و ایده اصلی رو بیشتر روش مانور نداده بود، کشش و جذابیتش لازم رو نداشت.
هرچند برای سنین نوجوان کتاب خوبیه چون موضوع فرعیش اتفاقات مدرسه و روابط با دوستان و فرزندخوانده بودن بود چه نکات مفیدی برای سنین نوجوان داره.
ایده جذابش این بود که اتوبوسی که کتابخونه سیاره در مسیر هانا قرار میگیره و هر کتاب و داستانی رو از اونجا میخونه، داستان واقعی یکی از دوستان و اطرافیانشه. حتی داستان خودش رو هم پیدا میکنه. اگه بخش بیشتر کتاب درباره این موضوع بود میتونست خیلی جذابتر پیش بره.
هرچند برای سنین نوجوان کتاب خوبیه چون موضوع فرعیش اتفاقات مدرسه و روابط با دوستان و فرزندخوانده بودن بود چه نکات مفیدی برای سنین نوجوان داره.
ایده جذابش این بود که اتوبوسی که کتابخونه سیاره در مسیر هانا قرار میگیره و هر کتاب و داستانی رو از اونجا میخونه، داستان واقعی یکی از دوستان و اطرافیانشه. حتی داستان خودش رو هم پیدا میکنه. اگه بخش بیشتر کتاب درباره این موضوع بود میتونست خیلی جذابتر پیش بره.
April 8, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️This book was definitely a fragile, curious read, it definitely left me wondering quite a bit about the threads within the story, too! A very curious story, indeed, I initially loved how books were constantly referenced throughout Hannah's inner trajectory, she initially presented as a character that I just wanted to give such a huge hug to, it felt like the proverbial odds were pitted against her, with her Mother seemingly constantly on her back, filled with snarky criticisms; so it definitely felt like, to me, that Hannah's love of books and the written word seemingly served as an anchor for her in her rocky life, too. As the story opens, I found myself instantly wondering what had happened in the accident that Hannah keeps thinking back to, as well as her trauma that she went through as a young baby, which lead her to being adopted. Questions, questions, questions! Unfortunately, where the book started to fall flat for me, was roughly halfway - Unfortunately I felt like things weren't cohesively forming, the characters weren't real hugely developing and things didn't really seem to be moving, frustratingly. It almost felt like the second half of the story became its own thing entirely, it was just very puzzling! Also, a lot of the "whys?" In "The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp," didn't exactly make sense to me, either...
This being said, I do appreciate that "The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp" did evoke some emotive topics and issues, and it definitely brought out some very illuminating thoughts and conversations that stemmed from these. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This being said, I do appreciate that "The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp" did evoke some emotive topics and issues, and it definitely brought out some very illuminating thoughts and conversations that stemmed from these. ⭐️⭐️⭐️
January 14, 2023
Interesting, different, thought-provoking.
March 31, 2023
Not something I'd normally pick up, the cover made me pick it up.
It was interesting, different and did have some scenes that were thought-provoking. I loved the role books played in Hannah's life.
It was interesting, different and did have some scenes that were thought-provoking. I loved the role books played in Hannah's life.
May 10, 2023
This was a great read. The main character was complex and sometimes hard to like but you wanted her to succeed and learn to appreciate her own value. I read it in two sittings, couldn't put it down.
May 9, 2023
Different. Fantasy meets relationships meets angry teenage girl meets mystical librarian.
April 8, 2023
The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp, starts in the middle of Hannah's story, throws you straight into the deep end and expects you to swim. And I love that about it. We get context and history from conversations and characters actions, it makes it feel like the story is happening now rather than we are being told about it.
Hannah is a complicated protagonist with complicated relationships with everyone in her life. It seems they all are wanting her to be a different version of herself yet Hannah isn't given the chance to be who she wants to be. Let alone a chance to discover who she actually is.
Hannah's story with her adoption, her adoptive parents and the confliction she feels with her birth mother, is such an important narrative. There would be so many young readers who would feel something to see a story similar to theirs in a book. The feelings, actions and mental anguis surrounding it all, is great to see in the pages of a book, done with authenticity and respect.
The mystical mobile library, both excites me and gives me the creeps. It's one of those things that pops up when you need it, but once you realise what it is, or what it contains, it's too late to decide you were fine without it.
I did struggle with the melding of the "magical" elements within this novel. For me, it didn't blend with the story in a way that made it believable. Hannah's story, alone was more than enough to keep readers engaged, I think the addition of certain elements (avoiding spoilers, sorry for my vagueness), distracted the reader from Hannah and her progression.
This book was a whirlwind. I'm not entirely sure that a lot of the events had a purpose or added much to the story over all. Fast paced and easy to read, with things that left the reader thinking long after the final page has been turned.
Hannah is a complicated protagonist with complicated relationships with everyone in her life. It seems they all are wanting her to be a different version of herself yet Hannah isn't given the chance to be who she wants to be. Let alone a chance to discover who she actually is.
Hannah's story with her adoption, her adoptive parents and the confliction she feels with her birth mother, is such an important narrative. There would be so many young readers who would feel something to see a story similar to theirs in a book. The feelings, actions and mental anguis surrounding it all, is great to see in the pages of a book, done with authenticity and respect.
The mystical mobile library, both excites me and gives me the creeps. It's one of those things that pops up when you need it, but once you realise what it is, or what it contains, it's too late to decide you were fine without it.
I did struggle with the melding of the "magical" elements within this novel. For me, it didn't blend with the story in a way that made it believable. Hannah's story, alone was more than enough to keep readers engaged, I think the addition of certain elements (avoiding spoilers, sorry for my vagueness), distracted the reader from Hannah and her progression.
This book was a whirlwind. I'm not entirely sure that a lot of the events had a purpose or added much to the story over all. Fast paced and easy to read, with things that left the reader thinking long after the final page has been turned.
May 1, 2023
Leonie Agnew has nailed the biting, blunt, and hilariously snappy attitude of a teenager! This story has you rooting for Hannah Kemp the whole way through. The main character’s traumatic past that has you wishing you were an adoptive sibling to support her through everything. I couldn’t put this book down. Bring on a sequel when Hannah Kemp finds the library again in 20 years time! Or a book from the fascinating perspective of the librarian and the stories that pass through the mysterious library. 10/10 :)
April 4, 2025
ارتباط روایت داستان با برخی داستانهای مشهور خیلی خیلی خیلی خوبه، میشه نکات خوبی ازش درآورد
شخصیتپردازی هم به نظرم خیلی خوبه
بخش غیرو��قعگراش هم تقریباً خوب دراومده
خوشحالم خوندمش و خیلی سریع خونده شد
شخصیتپردازی هم به نظرم خیلی خوبه
بخش غیرو��قعگراش هم تقریباً خوب دراومده
خوشحالم خوندمش و خیلی سریع خونده شد
April 10, 2023
The characters were not likeable. The MC was pretentious. This book was not properly edited as there were still mistakes throughout. Fatphobia is present in this book. Oh, and the book made no sense, it didn’t teach the MC anything and their behaviour didn’t change. I’m confused as to how this won an award.
April 28, 2023
In the aftermath of a traumatic accident for which she is responsible, Hannah is dealing with her guilt. She has been cut off from the community, who blame her and in retaliation she rebels and pushes away those who try to help her. Hannah comes across a mobile library, that is here one moment and gone the next, where every book is the true story of someone's life and she realises they are people she knows. Hannah finds her story and steals it but unbeknown to her, her family from her past returns.
I struggled to connect with the main character. Hannah had a traumatic life before her adoption, so I understand a lot of things were triggering for her. However I don't think Hannah ever really took responsibility for her actions and it took a lot for her to finally realise not everyone was judging her. It is clear that Hannah should start with forgiving herself but instead she chose to lash out at those who wanted to help her.
This was a quick read but I felt I wasn't really invested in the story until the second half. It was curiosity that kept me reading and while I did enjoy the story, it isn't the type of book I would usually pick up for myself.
Thank you to Walker Books Australia for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
I struggled to connect with the main character. Hannah had a traumatic life before her adoption, so I understand a lot of things were triggering for her. However I don't think Hannah ever really took responsibility for her actions and it took a lot for her to finally realise not everyone was judging her. It is clear that Hannah should start with forgiving herself but instead she chose to lash out at those who wanted to help her.
This was a quick read but I felt I wasn't really invested in the story until the second half. It was curiosity that kept me reading and while I did enjoy the story, it isn't the type of book I would usually pick up for myself.
Thank you to Walker Books Australia for gifting me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2023
DNF at P134. I tried but I couldn't. This MC is so unlikeable they are ultimately unredeemable. The abelism and use of highly emotive life circumstances as shock factors in the plot is actually quite disgusting.
November 24, 2023
Great story for teens and English classes - relationships, choices, guilt, trauma, supernatural, adoptive parents, dysfunctional families - lots to discuss. Deserves its award.
April 10, 2023
It was an accident. A terrible, life-changing, accident. Hannah didn't mean for anything to happen. She was trying to save herself. But now her life is one of guilt, isolation, confusion and anger.
She's used to everyone staring. At school. In the shops. On the street. That's her, she imagines them all saying. She's the one. She burrows down inside herself, feeling even worse, fighting with her mum, going to her therapy sessions, and completing her reparations for her 'crime'.
Rebellion is the only way she can seize any control of her life, and she achieves this with her friend Jody at her side. Through Jody, Hannah meets Dylan, too old for her, dealing with his own problems, and someone who knows nothing of 'the accident.'
Dylan works in the local bookstore, where Hannah finds solace. Books are her way of escaping the stares, taunts or complete blanking of her at school. With her head in a book, it looks like she doesn't care what's going on around her. One day Hannah finds a mobile library. It seems strangely bigger on the inside than the outside, and the librarian is just as odd.
Again, the books soothe her racing, angry mind - until she finds a book of short stories. These stories are too close to her life and people she knows, but how is that possible? Her all consuming need to understand launches her past into her present - until losing everything finally sets her free.
Winner of the 2022 Tessa Duder Award, this is (multi-award winning New Zealand author) Leonie Agnew's first Young Adult novel. Expertly swirled together is an angry, rebellious, guilt ridden teenager, a love of books, a mysterious mobile library, and a duckling.
It's beautiful, it's sad (I was reaching for the tissues), its real and fantastical. Main character Hannah is multi-layered, dealing with so much internally, she shuts out anyone who tries to get close. When she allows the wrong person in, things get incredibly messy. The conclusion is unexpected and swift, allowing Hannah to finally move on.
As always, Leonie's writing is flawless, engaging, often funny and in this YA novel - incredibly sassy. Hannah is so real and angry, I wanted to hug her half the time and shake her for the rest.
Look out for The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp in the next NZ Children's & Teens Book Awards, where I'm sure she will be.
13+
She's used to everyone staring. At school. In the shops. On the street. That's her, she imagines them all saying. She's the one. She burrows down inside herself, feeling even worse, fighting with her mum, going to her therapy sessions, and completing her reparations for her 'crime'.
Rebellion is the only way she can seize any control of her life, and she achieves this with her friend Jody at her side. Through Jody, Hannah meets Dylan, too old for her, dealing with his own problems, and someone who knows nothing of 'the accident.'
Dylan works in the local bookstore, where Hannah finds solace. Books are her way of escaping the stares, taunts or complete blanking of her at school. With her head in a book, it looks like she doesn't care what's going on around her. One day Hannah finds a mobile library. It seems strangely bigger on the inside than the outside, and the librarian is just as odd.
Again, the books soothe her racing, angry mind - until she finds a book of short stories. These stories are too close to her life and people she knows, but how is that possible? Her all consuming need to understand launches her past into her present - until losing everything finally sets her free.
Winner of the 2022 Tessa Duder Award, this is (multi-award winning New Zealand author) Leonie Agnew's first Young Adult novel. Expertly swirled together is an angry, rebellious, guilt ridden teenager, a love of books, a mysterious mobile library, and a duckling.
It's beautiful, it's sad (I was reaching for the tissues), its real and fantastical. Main character Hannah is multi-layered, dealing with so much internally, she shuts out anyone who tries to get close. When she allows the wrong person in, things get incredibly messy. The conclusion is unexpected and swift, allowing Hannah to finally move on.
As always, Leonie's writing is flawless, engaging, often funny and in this YA novel - incredibly sassy. Hannah is so real and angry, I wanted to hug her half the time and shake her for the rest.
Look out for The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp in the next NZ Children's & Teens Book Awards, where I'm sure she will be.
13+
June 26, 2023
Attempting to clear my TBR bookshelf, I grabbed this book off my shelf. I had been excited to read this one for several reasons from the cover, the fact it contained a mobile library and stories, the announcement that it won the Tessa Duder Award, and that it was a New Zealand fiction story. All those factors and the enjoyment of this book made it a great reading experience for me. In The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp, we meet a teenager named Hannah who is doing community service when an accident and impulse thought to cause a lady to crash her car and lose her unborn baby. The whole small town has shunned her and views her now as a bad seed. This accident has caused a domino effect for Hannah as now everyone just expects her to make mistakes and jump to conclusions like she is the "evil one". After an argument with her mum, Hannah finds a strange Mobile Library. As she reads the stories, she learns that they are hidden tales about the people in her community. One day, she finds her book which talks about the incident leading up to her adoption. She doesn't remember much about it, but the book, mentions she has a brother Max. This is news to Hannah. When she steals the book, she realizes it has the power for the characters to come alive and now Hannah is reunited with not only her mum Jasmine but also her brother Max. What happens though when fantasy and reality clash and Hannah has to say goodbye to the life she has created? Find out in this wonderful NZ magical realism tale by Leonie Agnew - The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp.
March 29, 2024
This is a bit of a tricky one to review. The opening chapters feel like a writing exercise that your English teacher has set, asking you to describe your meal as if you only have a sense of hearing. It was a bit weird, but I persevered.
And I'm glad I did - the writing got better and more engaging, and I started to care about the MC. Yes, she was unlikable, but I've met teens EXACTLY like this, and I think the author nailed angry, emotional, mucked up, says-things-they-don't-always-mean, scared character well. I heard the phrase once that "all anger is fear," and it's served me well over the years. If you can figure out what someone is afraid of, it takes the sting out of their anger.
There were elements of this book that did not work as well or were a bit clumsy, and it could have done with a good edit. Some of the grammar in places took a bit of sorting out. 🤔 The fat-shaming was unnecessary - it added nothing and left a sour taste.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the journey it took me on.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: fatmisia, death of an unborn baby, child abuse, death of a child
And I'm glad I did - the writing got better and more engaging, and I started to care about the MC. Yes, she was unlikable, but I've met teens EXACTLY like this, and I think the author nailed angry, emotional, mucked up, says-things-they-don't-always-mean, scared character well. I heard the phrase once that "all anger is fear," and it's served me well over the years. If you can figure out what someone is afraid of, it takes the sting out of their anger.
There were elements of this book that did not work as well or were a bit clumsy, and it could have done with a good edit. Some of the grammar in places took a bit of sorting out. 🤔 The fat-shaming was unnecessary - it added nothing and left a sour taste.
Overall, I enjoyed this book and the journey it took me on.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
CW: fatmisia, death of an unborn baby, child abuse, death of a child
April 15, 2023
As the book was mainly plot-driven, I won't blame it for the little character development in this story. The protagonist is not at all likeable and it is obvious that she often prides herself on her negative characteristics. It was frequently mentioned that she enjoyed reading and she is constantly stating how superior she is over everyone else based on this single factor of her love for books. It truly made me feel a sense of embarrassment for us readers. Furthermore, fatphobia and fat-shaming were also constantly included in Agnew's language. The MC even pictures another character as a "human whale" for her first impression despite not even having properly met that character. There were also various mistakes with the punctuation and it was evident that more proofreading was needed. There is a whole list of red flags that I have not touched on with this book that I can only give a one-star review. I am doubtful that it deserves a literature award.
September 30, 2023
I’m not as enamoured with this story as other reviewers, hence my 3 star rating. I found the realistic fantasy aspect and the concept of a library with books containing yours and other people’s stories a bit forced. It just didn’t gel with the realistic and tough issues of the story, and I think the resolution of these issues could have happened without the library bus and the unusual librarian.
Hannah has a lot to deal with; she’s made a mistake that had serious consequences for someone else, she’s struggling with being adopted, and birth mother/ adoptive mother issues, plus the normal teenage stuff of school, relationships with friends and parents.
The role of secrets and everyone having their own story, and it’s not all about you, is a good message for teen readers.
Heavy topics of drug taking, child neglect, adoption, mental illness, death and grief are handled sensitively and age-appropriately for the teen audience.
Hannah has a lot to deal with; she’s made a mistake that had serious consequences for someone else, she’s struggling with being adopted, and birth mother/ adoptive mother issues, plus the normal teenage stuff of school, relationships with friends and parents.
The role of secrets and everyone having their own story, and it’s not all about you, is a good message for teen readers.
Heavy topics of drug taking, child neglect, adoption, mental illness, death and grief are handled sensitively and age-appropriately for the teen audience.
May 23, 2023
I am unsure exactly what I was expecting from this book but it wasn’t what I read.
From the start you are not privy to all the information and the book is written from the point of view of a teenage Hannah who comes off as very unlikable and is a teenager who definitely has some maturing to do.
There are tender moments with a duck that show a softer side to her but she also makes some very harsh comments about those around her and definitely seems to have some trauma from being adopted. It is nice to see some growth at the end of the story regarding her adopted parents but this is a book that I couldn’t wait to finish.
I also know that I was not the target reader for this book
From the start you are not privy to all the information and the book is written from the point of view of a teenage Hannah who comes off as very unlikable and is a teenager who definitely has some maturing to do.
There are tender moments with a duck that show a softer side to her but she also makes some very harsh comments about those around her and definitely seems to have some trauma from being adopted. It is nice to see some growth at the end of the story regarding her adopted parents but this is a book that I couldn’t wait to finish.
I also know that I was not the target reader for this book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2024
داستانی باورنکردنی که باورش می کنیم. به قول مارگارت آتوود در داستان ها هیچ غیرممکنی وجود ندارد.
هانا مشکل فضاهای بسته دارد، فرزندخوانده هم هست و از این موضوع رنج می برد. او که نه شناخت درستی از مادر بیولوژیکش دارد و نه از مادروپدرخوانده اش، سرگردان است و این سرگردانی از او شخصیتی تقریبا عصیانگر ساخته. حوادث زندگی هانا گاهی غیرقابل اجتناب هستند و گاهی به اختیار.
هانا مثل پدرخوانده اش یک کرم کتاب است و پیداکردن کتابخانه ای سیار، کل زندگی اش را زیرورو می کند.
و اما اگر معتقد باشیم که زندگی، ده درصدش، اتفاق هایی هستند که برایمان رخ می دهند و نود درصد بقیه، عکس العمل ما به آن اتفاق هاست، آن وقت قبول می کنیم که این خود ما هستیم که داستان زندگی مان را می نویسیم.
هانا مشکل فضاهای بسته دارد، فرزندخوانده هم هست و از این موضوع رنج می برد. او که نه شناخت درستی از مادر بیولوژیکش دارد و نه از مادروپدرخوانده اش، سرگردان است و این سرگردانی از او شخصیتی تقریبا عصیانگر ساخته. حوادث زندگی هانا گاهی غیرقابل اجتناب هستند و گاهی به اختیار.
هانا مثل پدرخوانده اش یک کرم کتاب است و پیداکردن کتابخانه ای سیار، کل زندگی اش را زیرورو می کند.
و اما اگر معتقد باشیم که زندگی، ده درصدش، اتفاق هایی هستند که برایمان رخ می دهند و نود درصد بقیه، عکس العمل ما به آن اتفاق هاست، آن وقت قبول می کنیم که این خود ما هستیم که داستان زندگی مان را می نویسیم.
May 29, 2023
This was such an unexpected and inspiring story! With little plot twists through out the book-everything connected together and worked out in the best way possible. Loved the character development for every single one of them (especially her foster parents), although I would loved a bit more context about Dylan. My favourite quote is definitely the ones towards the end "In the end, life's a collection of memories pieced together. Sad, tragic, joyful." and "I am the author of my story" Beautifully written, 100% recommend!
February 16, 2025
With such mixed reviews I was hesitant about this book, but I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The raw emotions of a teenager who is struggling, the magical realism aspects and the ending, that last line was the perfect analogy of life!
For those complaining about fatphobia ... I disagree, I felt there was nothing malicious about it (& I've spent the majority of my life overweight). It was descriptive! That's the joy of books,an author uses words to illustrate the details for us and that's all they were doing. Describing their size, not being mean.
For those complaining about fatphobia ... I disagree, I felt there was nothing malicious about it (& I've spent the majority of my life overweight). It was descriptive! That's the joy of books,an author uses words to illustrate the details for us and that's all they were doing. Describing their size, not being mean.
April 24, 2023
This book only slightly grasped the point of view of a traumatised fifteen year old girl. The setup was ok: her birth mother abandoning her as a young child, and being responsible for a horrible accident, but the writing wasn’t of good quality. The storyline and writing style were cliche, and thoroughly unsatisfying. I could easily predict what was going to happen. Overall, this was what I would call a really bad book.
May 14, 2023
To be honest I'm not a huge reader of ya novels BUT someone I know raved about this book, so off I went to purchase! I could not put this down... I needed to know what was going to happen!!! I loved following Hannah's journey and observing my own response to her critical and prickly self, and how the story unfolded to Hannah becoming a character I had compassion for, and I was in the end cheering for. A brilliant magical read that took me on an incredible journey. I highly recommend.
September 21, 2023
The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp had potential but it didn't quite deliver. I liked all the references to actual books but I struggled with the magical elements and I couldn't connect to Hannah. I found her unlikeable and many of the things she said to others were hurtful and cruel. I did see a softer side to her when it came to Bambi, the duckling she found but, overall, this novel never won me over.
July 4, 2024
2.5*
This book annoyed me. I didn't like Hannah at all, which I suppose is kinda the point because character growth or whatever but she really irked me. It all felt very cliche and like it was written purely for the message of 'you can write your own story'. That being said, I couldn't stop reading. I was interested (ok I was interested in Bambi and Dylan). It felt just really poorly written and I'm a little bit annoyed. I wanted it to be good.
This book annoyed me. I didn't like Hannah at all, which I suppose is kinda the point because character growth or whatever but she really irked me. It all felt very cliche and like it was written purely for the message of 'you can write your own story'. That being said, I couldn't stop reading. I was interested (ok I was interested in Bambi and Dylan). It felt just really poorly written and I'm a little bit annoyed. I wanted it to be good.
May 11, 2023
I'm not usually a fan of magical realism but I thought it worked well in this book. I loved the troubled main character and the mystery behind both the traumatic event she's struggling with and the circumstances surrounding her adoption. The plot was original and I appreciated the depth of the character and the story.
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