Almost Grace by Rosie Rowell

Hot Key Books, 2015. ISBN 9781471401275
(Age: 14+) Recommended. 'I will support and love you through whatever it is that is causing you anxiety but I will not follow you down this road of self-destruction.'
This book, the story of Grace, is set in South Africa. There are explanations throughout the book of Afrikaans words. Grace has just finished High School and is unsure of what the future may hold for her. She is controlling the only thing she can control - her body. It soon becomes apparent that she is eating little and her friends and family are very concerned for her. She travels with her two friends, Brett and Louisa, to a holiday house they are renting on the coast at Baboon Point.
Here Grace meets Spook. He is older, mysterious, and appears to be a carefree nomadic surfer. There is a familiarity about him that lends to the attraction. When Spook leaves his car with the group for a few days and goes off alone, the group encounters the dangerous world of poaching.
'You have to let go of all that bullshit in your head.'
This story explores the ideas of identity, relationships and freedom as we see the world through Grace's eyes. She is a searcher, looking for meaning in her life. What will she find?
Linda Guthrie