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Book Book, Fiona Farrell
Vintage
Reviewed by Jess Cooksley-Gruys (Courtesy of Taranaki Daily News)

For many women born in the 40s, 50s or 60s, reading Book Book will be a trip down memory lane.

Farrell experienced her childhood during the 1950s in Oamaru, and has beautifully mastered the mix of memoir and fiction in this novel, which she writes about through some of the books she has read and grown up with.

A relatively new and trendy way of writing is to pick someone and make them yourself, which is what Farrell has achieved with Kate – the main character in Book Book.

Kate and her sister come from a working class family with not much money but a terrific family relationship and a shared passion for reading. It is with this passion that Kate marks the stages of her life.

For example, Chicken-Licken and Heidi represent the innocence and unknown of her childhood. She then moves on to "set-texts", described as being "as earnest as the School Journal", along with the familiar Jane Austen and tacky love stories read throughout her teens, which perhaps contributed to the disappointment of her first kiss. Lasting less than a second and leaving a petroleum whiff on her top lip – not nearly as romantic as the books made out.

Small excerpts pop up throughout the novel from books that have had a lasting impact on Kate's reading, which is what makes this novel as charming as it is.

It is not until the end that you start to find out about the hidden complexities of her family; the family that has always been so tight-knit.

A highly recommended read, not only for the memories but also for the recognition you feel while this gorgeous novel unravels itself.