Tiny is a homeless girl in NSW, one amongst the
many people who ‘reached for the champagne, but ended up with a fistful of
broken glass.’ She carries with her a broken heart as well as a broken home. The
well-educated but also homeless Zak, becomes her street dad and protector.
Nola has broken up with her boyfriend Tom over a
trust issue after he discovers she hasn’t told him about her gay parents. She
is doing her HSC year, and must volunteer at a homeless shelter to get her
final points.
Tiny and Nola meet at a small writing group that
provides a creative avenue for the homeless at the shelter, Hope Lane. The two
lives come together in an unexpected way and both are changed through their
shared experiences.
Pip Harry has chosen strong social issues to
address, using her original prose style and impressive turn of phrase
throughout the novel. The clear and descriptive settings draw the reader into the
space that the characters occupy.
Pip shows us the sad and hopeless side of
homelessness; the reasons why people become homeless, and the many emotional,
psychological and health problems they face. She also shares the stories of the
generous hearted volunteers and tireless workers who attempt to improve the
lives of the lost and forgotten.
I loved this book. It is built on many themes that include
homelessness, how we perceive others and how they really are and why, and the
power of friendship and change. It’s about storytelling (of which there is a
great deal in this moving book), and sharing lives, and how kindness and
interest can repair the broken and re-form the future.
Title:
Because of You
Author:
Pip Harry
Publisher:
UQP, $19.95
Publication
Date: August 2017
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9780702259777
For
ages: 14+
Type:
Young Adult Fiction
