Should be Compulsory Reading!

Dear Vincent by Mandy Hager

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was an extraordinary and very moving book. At times I was almost reduced to tears, other times my heart swelled with the imagery. Sometimes I felt a little ill, sickened and saddened, and wanted to slap Tara and/or her mother and tell them to take a deep breath and approach the situation like adults. But oh, the sheer stubborness of the two female leads! Their emotions as sharp and fragile as a razor's edge.

This is a story of secrets and lies, of loss and loneliness. A story of art, and memories and pain unresolved. All of the main players are damaged in some sort of way - Tara's situation seems bleak and depressing - her father is incapable, almost comatose, thanks to two severe strokes he has suffered; her relationship with her mother is a bitter and shattered thing, with the two barely rubbing shoulders but still finding time to argue. It is a situation made all the worse when Tara learns how her older sister, Vanessa, really died - and it wasn't in a car crash. Slowly the threads of her life begin to crumble around her, as the shadows loom in. But luckily there is a ray of light from the shadows - first coming in the form of Max, an elderly gentleman residing in the Old Folks' home where Tara works - he has lived through pain and suffering too, being born in Austria before World War II, and of Jewish heritage.

Tara is not the most admirable of heroines, she makes plenty of mistakes, biting when she should be restraining herself and pushing people away from her, but this just expands her personality, and adds a real flavour to the plot.

Overall, this is a powerful story telling a powerful message and it should be read by any teenager that is feeling a little melancholic, a bit nihilistic because there is one thing that is definitely not the answer.

I would recommend this to fans of John Green. The themes are similar (teenage drama, handled maturely but with a dash of humour) and the writing precise and poignant. Probably best for ages 14+. And Mandy Hagar - you've won my vote in next year's NZ Children's Post Book Awards (and this had better jolly well make the shortlist).



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