Melina Marchetta

Not really? Tom Mackee? That boorish, pervy, smart-mouthed Year Eleven boy from Saving Francesca (2004), who offended Tara Finke whenever he opened his mouth, is the central character in Melina Marchetta’s new book. At least he loved music and was not a bad guitarist. Last time we met him, Tom became part of Francesca’s circle at school. Occasionally charming, a dab hand at witty repartee, he was falling for activist and feminist Tara Finke. Now he’s not sixteen anymore, but twenty-one (or thereabouts).

The beauty of reading is that you can experience other people going outside their comfort zones with-out apparently leaving your own. This collection of novels, while varied in subject matter, genre, and age appeal, is similar in that they all present the reality of feeling unsafe in one way or another.