Pink by Lili Wilkinson
Allen and Unwin,
2009. ISBN 9781741758344.
(Age 14+) Recommended. Lili Wilkinson is a favourite author of mine and
Pink
didn't disappoint. Ava thinks that she finally will be able to find
herself
when she goes to the Billy Hughes School for Academic Excellence.
Dressed in
her new pink cashmere sweater, she is determined to discover her true
self.
Filled with doubts about her sexuality, her relationship with her
girlfriend Chloe
and with a burning desire to fit in, Ava makes friends with the popular
Pastels,
led by Alexis, who are all bright, intelligent and with leading roles
in the
school musical. Then she joins the Screws, the stage crew who do all
the
background sets and lighting, and meets another type of person - the
school
outcasts.
But Ava has secrets. Even though she is now wearing pink, and has
washed the
dye out of her hair, she has problems working out who her friends are
and how
to act in this new setting. The theme
that you don't always know about your sexual orientation at the age of
16 will
be of great interest to teenagers, as they follow Ava's often
disastrous
attempts to decide between Chloe and Sam. Wilkinson
leavens her story with lots of laugh
out loud humour and situations that teenagers often find themselves in.
Her
characters are outstanding: believable, funny and intelligent.
Pink is a clever, brilliantly written story that doesn't talk
down to
its
audience. It tackles big themes, not just sexuality, but loyalty,
honesty, knowing
yourself, finding friends and becoming independent, in an engrossing
novel.
Pat Pledger