Road tripping with Pearl Nash by Poppy Nwosu

This is the first book by Poppy Nwosu that I have read, and I absolutely loved it! I will be sure to find her other books, Making friends with Alice Dyson and Taking down Evelyn Tait. Pearl Nash is a 17-year-old girl, on a mission to save her friendship with Daisy her best friend for years. Daisy has a boyfriend now and seems to only want Pearl around when its not convenient to be with her boyfriend. She had planned to take a road trip to an end of year party at a beach shack with Daisy but ends up giving Obi Okocha a lift instead – Daisy wants to travel with her boyfriend Lachlan and Obi has been left at the service station, waiting for a lift. Pearl and Obi have not been the best of friends over the years and Pearl is not happy having him as her passenger. However, on a detour to find her grandmother, who is not answering her phone, Pearl and Obi get to know each other.

Nwosu examines some big themes in Road tripping with Pearl Nash, all served up with humour and leaving the reader feeling good as ways to solve problems are gradually revealed. The dynamics of friendship plays an important part in the story as Pearl gradually navigates her way to understanding her feelings about Daisy and her willingness to drop everything to be with her unlikeable boyfriend. Pearl’s family has its troubles too, her father and his brother have not spoken to each other for years, and her grandmother is still missing her grandfather and her home in the country. And Obi is a wonderful character, with his big smile and wise comments, and the racism that he faces is subtly handled as is the growing relationship between the pair.

The countryside plays an integral role in the book. Each chapter is headed with the name of an Australian native plant, some familiar like lilly pilly and some to research like Peninsula guinea flower, and there are descriptions of the bush as Pearl and Obi drive along the isolated highway. The coastal dunes and the  beach shack where the end of year party is held will also be familiar to many readers.

This would make an ideal literature circle book or class set with topics that would appeal to teenagers. There are some triggers like underage drinking and parties, but all are handled very well, and the book leaves the reader feeling uplifted and optimistic.

Themes: Friendships, Family relations, Racism.

Pat Pledger