Promise
Me Happy opens with Nate the main character, being released
from Juvie.
He is picked up by Uncle Mick, his dead mother’s brother, and taken
to an area surrounded by water where oysters were once harvested. There Mick
lives on frozen, packaged food while he cooks for his dog Barry who has
allergies. Mick has sadness in his eyes, the residue of something broken in
him.
Nate meets the mysterious and magnetic Gem, the
girl who works at the local store, and Henry, who is not Gem’s brother but
lives with her and her mum.
Gem is smart and sassy, and as attracted to Nate as
he to her. Henry is clever, but different to other children, therefore somewhat
marginalised. He loves the water and is as familiar with the area as with his
breath that goes in and out.
Gem has secrets. Nate thinks he recognizes the
marks. He had seen them often enough on his mother’s face and arms. But he is
wrong.
When Mick tells Nate he should get his boat licence
and take up the job of deliveries to the houses around the lake, Nate is
astonished at his show of trust. For the first time in his life, a sense of
worth surges in him.
Gem changes Nate. She dispels his fears of becoming
brutal like his father, and he discovers that there is hope in life for him.
But there are the town bullies to contend with and
Gem’s secret soon becomes a visible threat. She has taught Nate how to live and
love. Now she has to teach him how to live without her.
Promise
me Happy is a superbly written, character-driven novel that
flows and is full of depth. Themes of family violence and abuse are as strong
as the ones on renewal, love, loss and the strength of the human spirit.
The importance of water to the character’s healing
is a main feature in the story. The damaged people and the rebuilding of their
lives intertwine with the solace of the river and its pathways that flow out
and back, offering hope and possibility.
Title:
Promise Me Happy
Author:
Robert Newton
Publisher:
Penguin Random House, $17.99
Publication
Date: 7 May 2019
Format:
Paperback
ISBN:
9780143796442
For
ages: 14+
Type:
Young Adult Fiction
