Review: Picture Me Gone

Meg Rosoff’s writing is always full of surprise; always spectacular. She has become one of my favourite writers. Her ability to transfer a world of thought and meaning into every sentence magnetizes me. This brilliant story is told in the narrative voice of twelve year old Mila, born to Gil, a translator, and Marieka a talented musician while both were in their forties.  Mila is a mature, clever, insightful observer who registers everything she sees.

The story is set up beautifully beginning with the disappearance of Matthew, Gil’s best friend. Mila and her father travel from London to America to find an answer to this mysterious happening. This journey becomes an astonishing sequence of secrets, revelations and explosions.

Mila’s observant and questioning eye constantly catches happenings that drop lightly like pins and wait to be picked up. This adds an element of suspense to all that is going on and precipitates what follows.

I love the relationship between father and child. They share a seamless, poignant continuity of thought and emotion that speaks volumes about each of them. Their roles are frequently reversed and Mila becomes the guardian and Gil the child.

This is a novel about secrets and identity; a course on human feelings and failings, and the desolation of guilt and regret. I did the unforgivable and marked its glorious, thought-provoking phrases and brilliant prose, but I’m content that it will never leave my house.

Title: Picture Me Gone
Author: Meg Rosoff
Publisher: Penguin, $19.99 RRP
Publication Date: 25 September 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780141344041
For ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult