A stranger says he has Sukey’s stuff. Kiri gets on her bike and tries to find him. So begins a truly unexpected ride into an unknown that could be just down the road or in a nearby suburb. The door to homelessness and other people’s struggle to survive await Kiri’s discovery as well as a whole lot more.
Everything Kiri thought was true about her sister seems to unravel and Kiri spirals, the further she ventures. I wasn’t ready for the depth of her emotions or the lack of logic in her choice making, but I couldn’t let Kiri travel without me.
It’s hard to come up for breath in Wild Awake. I felt I had to keep pushing with Kiri, to get through whatever it was that she had to get through. She reminded me of several people I know and of no one. And as for Skunk: I was at my wit’s end to work him out. His story was as powerful as Kiri’s, but in a different way.
Title: Wild Awake
Author: Hilary T. Smith (also known as Intern)
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont, $19.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 November 2013
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781742977706
Ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult
