Shot-Blue

Set against the backdrop of a remote lake, Jesse Ruddock’s debut novel Shot-Blue follows a boy who learns to survive in a land that was once his home, but is now changed by strangers.

Packed with characters who are at times intertwined and disconnected—as evidenced by the novel’s alternating points of view—Shot-Blue sheds light on the reality of love, loss, and loneliness.

While the book is difficult to follow at times, Ruddock exquisitely breathes life into feelings we all know too well. Feelings that are felt so powerfully, even when conveyed through very few words.

The Nearly Girl by Lisa de Nikolits is many things, but predictable isn’t one of them. Broken into a few chapters, The Nearly Girl tells the story of an unusual family, including a daughter named Amelia, who inherited her father’s peculiarities and is confronted with a grim reality when she is forced to deal with her issues.

De Nikolits’ novel reads like a movie. It’s fast paced and full of colourful, loud characters, but Amelia is certainly the stand-out. Her fascination with the unusually beautiful fuels her need to prove that she, like her father, requires an unorthodox way of living to truly be happy.

The Nearly Girl is brimming with bright story lines and vivid themes. The story becomes a commentary on life through the artist’s mind and the impermanence of happiness.