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Jump to navigationJump to searchThe Kissing Game by Aidan Chambers (view source)
Revision as of 14:31, 13 February 2011
, 14:31, 13 February 2011no edit summary
I loved ''Cindy's Day Out'', in which a put-upon sibling finally takes control of her life. And ''The Scientific Approach'', which deals with sexual jealousy and social approval, and bit me right in the bum at the end with such a surprise that I actually applauded - in a room on my own. There's ''Toska'' which focuses on adolescent anomie to great effect, and there's ''Thrown Out'', which develops this theme through an environmental twist. ''Kangaroo'' - featuring a girl in a summer job as an animal character at a theme park - did make me laugh, but had something very serious to say about man as beast.
The form is quite disparate - short flash fictions to true short stories, but also little dialogues and letters. And the prose is elegant, precise, witty and elegant. Tying it all together is a coming-of-age theme - how we feel in adolescence, the things we discover during that time, the defiance and opposition we put up, and the estrangement we feel. It will give rise to a great deal of discussion about the myriad of possibilities both in the written form and in the ways we look at - and live - our lives.
''The Kissing Game'' is classy, thought-provoking, witty and always provocative. It's recommended by Bookbag.
