Charlie lives with his parents, in the small mining town of Corrigan, located in rural Western Australia. Charlie is a thirteen year old boy, almost ahead of his years, aided by his great appreciation for all things literary. It is also a book that I feel should be placed on the high school curriculum.Ĭharlie Bucktin is the central narrator in Craig Silvey’s novel.
Both books feature small town prejudice and are narrated by a young adolescent protagonist. These comparisons are warranted and I can see how Jasper Jones has the makings of being a modern Australian classic. The link between To Kill a Mockingbird and Jasper Jones comes from the common themes the two books share. I have been interested in reading Silvey’s book for some years now, perhaps due to the comparisons drawn to Jasper Jones and a favourite book of mine, the classic, To Kill a Mockingbird. It was also my pick for our monthly book club read. My review:Ĭraig Silvey’s second novel, Jasper Jones, was written in 2009 and most recently reinvented through a big screen adaptation. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion as he locks horns with his tempestuous mother falls nervously in love and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend, Jeffrey Lu.Īnd in vainly attempting to restore the parts that have been shaken loose, Charlie learns to discern the truth from the myth, and why white lies creep like a curse. Jasper takes him to his secret glade in the bush, and it’s here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper’s horrible discovery.
So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of Corrigan. Late on a hot summer night in 1965, Charlie Bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleep-out.
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