Jasper Jones

Jasper Jones

Synopsis

Full of unforgettable characters, a page-turning pace and outrageously good dialogue, this is a glorious novel - thoughtful, funny, heartbreaking and wise - about outsiders and secrets, and what it really means to be a hero. Late on a hot summer night in the tail end of 1965, Charlie Bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleep-out. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of Corrigan. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress. Jasper takes him through town and to his secret glade in the bush, and it's here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper's horrible discovery. 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. And 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. 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. 'If we see a more entertaining, heartfelt piece of Australian literature in the next 12 months, it will be a rare year indeed - an Australian To Kill a Mockingbird.' -The Monthly. 'It's genius.' - West Australian. '... impossible to put down ... There's tension, injustice, young love, hypocrisy ... and, above all, the certainty that Silvey has planted himself in the landscape as one of our finest storytellers.' -Australian Women's Weekly. 'Jasper Jones confronts inhumanity and racism, as the stories of Mark Twain and Harper Lee did. Silvey's voice is distinctive: astute, witty, angry, understanding and self-assured.' -Weekend Australian. 'Jasper Jones is a riveting tale, studded with laugh-out-loud and life-affirming moments yet underpinned by a clear-eyed examination of human weaknesses and misdemeanours.' -Adelaide Advertiser.

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Customer Reviews

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• Funny, Sad and everything in between

  Reviewed by Tim C. | see all reviews by Tim C.

  28/02/2011

  Craig Silvey had me laughing, crying, with eyes wide open as I devoured this book, my fingers couldn't press the next page button in time on my ereader!
  
  Jasper Jones is a powerful story which is sure to become part of the English cannon. It is indeed one of the few classics of our time.
  
  The two central characters, Chuck (Charlie) and Jeffrey, are as believable as believable can be.
  
  Everything is plausible - there was not one moment where I paused to think - 'would this really be how I would react?'
  
  The story is incredibly real and a must-read, a reminder of the literature of our time.
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• Jasper Jones -LOVE IT!!

  Reviewed by camchan | see all reviews by camchan

  11/02/2012

  This book is great, and I highly recommend it. You will fall in love with the characters, and the action at the cricket game is one of the many highlights. It's a Hollywood blockbuster in the making!
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• WOW!!!!

  Reviewed by John C. | see all reviews by John C.

  13/08/2010

  What an enjoyable read. No wonder this book was the Indie Book of the Year '09 and shortlisted for a Miles Franklin '10. It had me laughing out loud at the banter between "Chuck" & Jeffrey, with the nonsensical hypotheticals they put to each other such as, "Here's one: Which would you rather have a hat made of spiders or...." you'll have to read it to source the eventual outcome, it's hilarious.
  The likeness to Kill A Mockingbird is obvious, but certainly no way a copy. I could go on, but then I'd be keeping you from the laughter, the sadness and mystery of this wonderful story. Don't delay, read and enjoy!
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