Oh how I love this book.
It was one of those impulse-clicks on Netgalley. I swore I’d stop doing them…but then I turn up gems like these that I would never have thought to try!
Thank you Random House Australia on Netgalley! Are You Seeing Me? by Darren Groth hits shelves on August 1st, 2014.
This road trip will have earth-shattering consequences . . .
Twins Justine and Perry are about to embark on the road trip of a lifetime in the Pacific Northwest.
It’s been a year since they watched their dad lose his battle with cancer. Now, at only nineteen, Justine is the sole carer for her disabled brother. But with Perry having been accepted into an assisted-living residence, their reliance on each other is set to shift. Before they go their separate ways, they’re seeking to create the perfect memory.
For Perry, the trip is a glorious celebration of his favourite things: mythical sea monsters, Jackie Chan movies and the study of earthquakes.
For Justine, it’s a chance to reconcile the decision to ‘free’ her twin, to see who she is without her boyfriend, Marc – and to offer their mother the chance to atone for past wrongs.
But the instability that has shaped their lives will not subside, and the seismic event that Perry forewarned threatens to reduce their worlds to rubble . . .
This book is so so special and how even am I going to explain it?
Don’t fear! I’ll do my best. I’m not a quitter. And, you know, I can always employ flailing gifs to help me out.
First of all, it’s about Australian twins, Justine and Perry, going for a holiday in Canada.
Bring out the moose, eh? (I know, that’s a vicious Canadian stereotype, but if it makes the Canadians feel any better when I think “moose” I think “Supernatural” not Canada. But I’m digressing, aren’t I?) Books about Australians are awesome, especially when they are fair dinkum Aussies. They use words like “sticky-beak” and talk about “Possum Magic”. IT IS SO AUSTRALIAN. The humour is very Australian too. Lots of sarcasm. Lots of dry humour.
Like Justine’s response to people staring at Perry:
“You’ve never seen a disabled person and their homicidal carer before?”
I’m just snickering over here, don’t mind me.
I do scowl at the blurb because…it’s a “holiday” not a “roadtrip”.
I’m not fond of misleading blurbs, but this one IS a doozy. Look, they go in an airplane across the ocean to Canada. Yes, there is a bit of driving. But one does not call a flight to Canada a roadtrip. No.
Let’s talk about the characters, eh?
(See what I did there? With the “eh”? Okay…forget it.) I absolutely adored both Justine and Perry! It’s dual narrated, but in quite BIG sections. So you really get comfortable inside Justine’s POV…and then it’ll switch to Perry. I think that helped me get to know them sufficiently before it moosed to a different viewpoint.
They’re twins, their 19, their dad has just died, and they’re taking a holiday before some Big Life Changes happen. (That’s all in the blurb, so not spoilers.) Perry has a brain condition, which I suspect is basically Autism. When it flipped to his POV, it was so excellently written! His voice is completely different to Justine’s. Long sentences. Imaginary scenarios. And he didn’t explain anything. He just narrated like it was happening in his head.
Like they went out to eat and Justine orders, and Perry starts thinking about food poisoning and imagining everyone in the restaurant dying. But he’s saying everyone is dying around him. As the reader we have to pick out what’s real and what’s not real. I loved that.
Justine is also all types of awesome. She’s caring. She’s stressed. And she’s capable. None of this clingy desperate lovesick YA that I keep falling into. This is real and kind of sad, but beautiful.
Let’s moose over to talk about why the author wrote this.
Like the stalker-reader I am, I snuck onto the author’s website and read his blog. He actually has twins himself, and he wrote this book for his daughter. His son has autism. I don’t think he wrote this book about them (since they’re not yet teens), but he wrote it for them, and HOLD MY MOOSE (meese?) that’s just incredibly sweet. It made me trust the book 100% too, because the author knows what he’s talking about.
The writing and characters are just fabulous. What more do I want in a book?
I wouldn’t call it the most original thing I’ve ever read. But it’s enjoyable. It’s sweet. There are some serious NO STAHP moments, and then I just wanted to hug my kindle.
But if nothing else, you want to read this for the Aussie humour, okay? Okay.
(This is Justine imagining HOW they should be greated arriving in Vancouver…so her little dry interior monologue:)
Yes, go straight through. No need for passports. We love Australians here in Canada…We know you’ve had a rough flight. We know you’ve had a rough LIFE. All those sharks and snakes and rugby players trying to kill you every moment of the day. Far be it from us to make things more difficult. And, here, have this leftover gold medal from the VAncovour Winter Olymipcs. You’ve earned it.
I died at the “sharks and snakes and rugby players trying to kill you”…Welcome to ‘Straya MATE.
This is like 4.5 (except Goodreads doesn’t allow half stars so I don’t usually bother with them). I LOVED it, but it was a bit predictable. It was happy/sad and bitter/sweet and I loved viewing the world through Perry AND Justine’s eyes. And also I got to make lame moose jokes, so that’s fun, eh?
Cait has not been to Canada but she’s watched BROTHER BEAR so that counts for something, eh? She has heard that it’s a nice big place with lots of polite people and states that are the size of countries with only 2 people living in them. Sounds wonderful. She has never seen a moose. But she’s seen Sam in Supernatural which is kind of the same thing.
I have also not been to Canada. But I would like to (if only for maple syrup). I'm so glad I'm not the only one who uses "meese." I had a long argument with friends with school about proper moose plurals. But ahhhh this sounds amazing! You know I love contemporary, and funny Aussie teens in Canada? Autism that's dealt with honestly? MEESE? It sounds awesome. I love how the author wrote it for his kids – that is just so sweet 🙂 *adds to TBR*
I liked it. (If, you know, it was hard to tell by my screechy review that hit so many stereotypes and probably mortally offended a lot of Canadians…*sighs and disappears down hobbit hole*) But maple syrup is nice, right? Pancakes. Mmm. MEESE needs to be a word, if it isn't. This book is just gobs and gobs of sweetness. It really is.
I've been to Canada but not since before you were born OH GOD I'M SO OLD. I just downloaded this, because of reasons.
*offers wheelchair* Do you need to sit down, you poor old dear?Hehe…okay. SORRY! Don't throw anything at me, but you know I'm the one for the lame jokes. heheh. (At least I get amused by my own jokes and that's important. *nods*) OKAY. Anyway. I'm glad you did. REASONS. They are good reasons.
The cover of this book is gorgeous! If a book has a beautiful cover I am 99.999999999999% more likely to read it than if the cover is normal or ugly. I think this is going on my TBR list because I love dual/triple/quadruple narration books. Also, I am so sick of desperate lovesick YA teen girls, so I can't wait to read the point of view of Justine. I also haven't read many books about travel, but they seem interesting. On a random note, those Brother Bear gifs are so cute! Especially the last one. It's melting my heart.
This sounds so good and that cover is amazing! I need to get my hands on this one!Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
Eeep! I'm glad you enjoyed it 🙂 Well, a book about Australians is supposed to appeal to an Aussie like you 🙂 Dry humor and sarcasm sounds just like Estonian humor. We're humor buddies, sweets! *high fives* Oh, I like that! When you get to spend more time in someone's POV than just automatically switching POVs chapter per chapter. Yeah? They were easy to tell apart? The writing sounds good! Aw! I'm glad you do your research and care enough to do it 🙂 That's sweet and gives you a better understanding of the meaning of this book and why/how it came to be. YAYYYY! I'm so glad you liked it and *cough* that last gif killed me! So cute 🙂
This book sounds awesome but, CAIT! I am Canadian. I've never said "eh" in my life. Never seen a moose. Or had the real maple syrup (the delicious fake stuff is good enough for me). And, I must note, we live in provinces, not states. Although I'm glad people think we are polite, eh? See what I did there. I'm hilarious, trust me.
I feel…so lost…i am neither Canadian nor Australian. No lame stereotypical jokes for me. 🙁
Aw, you read a happy book. Are you sure nobody died?
Yeah, a roadtrip to Canada. You'll drown. He just narrated like it was happening in his head. Kind of like in We Were Liars (with the heart thing) which I loved about that, so I'll probably love that. AND THE QUOTE, HAHA! My kind of humour (good or bad thing? I don't know) Love that the authors writing from personal experience, it does make you trust the message and what it's saying, but more than that, it's more personal. 🙂
I laughed out loud at Justine's imagination! I'm not Australian but I got that. I think I love her already. You're successful once again, Cait. This book has been added to my wishlist already. Are you happy now? But in all seriousness, I talked to Canadians at my previous work all the time and I haven't even heard a single "eh" in their sentences. Or maybe I mysteriously blocked it out because I can't handle. I'm not sure.Anyway, I am serious now like really really serious and all I'm going to say is I crave for these kind of stories and BROTHER BEAR sums this review up real nice. I like bittersweet. I like adorable. So I'm going to read this book. Thank you for your impulse-clicks on Netgalley.
4.5 stars?! OK, I *have* to read this now. And the difference in POVs sounds fascinating.
That cover is… I don't even know the word… but for some reason I love it :)I totally want to read this now – great review!!
Ah, this is the book that I added to Goodreads upon seeing your review, and then told you that for the sake of my TBR, you had to be stopped 😉 I don't live far from Canada, and my husband is actually a Canadian citizen (despite the fact that he was born in the US and his parents are both from the UK). I make fun of Canadian stuff all the time, like Barney does to Robin on HIMYM. Also, they serve french fries at Taco Bell. That's weird. But Canada is quite lovely (though I admit, it would be better if my in-laws weren't there. Too much?) Anyway, this book does sound amazing. I obviously must have it!
I'm Canadian, eh? This book sounds super fun! It's going on the to-read list. Oh and for the record, moose is the singular and the plural word. I've discussed it with my fellow Canadians…in our igloo, haha!
I'M GOING TO CANADA TOMORROW TO SEE MY FAMRILYYY. THIS POST IS RELEVANT TO ME! and aha. I see all those "ehs". Get out of here Cait. Ok, so first, I thought you read that eARC off your Ipood touch (yes, Ipood), and then I was like "wow your poor eyes." But I see you actually have a kindle, and you just took a picture of the cover on your ipood because it looks better when it's colorful. Because you go to extreme lengths to do such things. Yes I see I understand now :PI think I would definitely enjoy this, even though I've been reading fantasy fantasy fantasyyyyyy all day every day. I need to switch it up once in a while. And also, CANADA.
Hahaha oh Cait <33 As a Canadian this review was great with incorporating all of our stereotypes. I'm not offended at all, but mainly amused. LOL I don't say 'eh' though! I swear [; Lol it's more of a Eastern Canada thing, I live on the west coast by those Rocky Mountains (: I've seen Moose before though! And beavers. Our maple syrup is the best, I can confirm. Poutine is a godsend. Most of us are pretty polite. Timmie's is life. I don't live in a igloo. Never seen a polar bear. Okkkkay, think that's enough Canadian stereotypes for today. This cover for Are You Seeing Me is so beautiful, so it's good to hear that the inside matches (: Lol a "roadtrip" to Canada that involves planes[; Well isn't that just the verrrrry definition of a roadtrip, ahah. Lol I think it'd be interesting for me as a Canadian to read about the places described in the novel. Omg it'd be sad if I couldn't even recognize one of them.The characters sounds amazing (: I think reading this book would really feel like I was going on a journey with them. I'm glad to see autism represented, and done so in such a realistic way. I think that the author having personal experience with autism really elevates the novel to a whole new level and would make things seem much more organic. I usually do have issues with duo POVs, but I feel like having the two in Are You Seeing Me actually makes sense and would add to the novel. I don't think I've read a story actually narrated with somebody who has autism, so I'm super excited to read through Perry's eyes/mind.Great review Cait [;
I love books with dry humor and a lot of sarcasm (and self-deprecatory humor). It's also very important for me to know that the author has personal knowledge of the subject (it shows in the books, too). I know some authors rely on research and that's well and good. But the personal touch adds credibility to the book.Definitely adding this to my TBR. 🙂
Awww I so need to read this now! But I looked on Amazon and I don't think it's available in the US D: It's not in on TBD either… *crying forever* SOMEDAY I'll get it! Also: I always think of Sam, never Canada, when someone says Moose
This actually sounds quite interesting Cait. 😀 Australians in Canada? Haha – culture clash much? LOL! Anyway…I love the sound of the characters and the sibling relationships in this one. I'm really intrigued with seeing how the author deals with having a character with autism, as that can definitely be quite challenging to pull of, no? I suppose the fact that she has a son with autism would help though! And aww…he dedicated it to his twins? THAT'S SO SWEET!Definitely going to get a copy of this ASAP because I'm intrigued! Thanks for sharing Cait and, as always, BRILLIANT review! <333(P.S. THOSE CANADIAN PUNS THOUGH! 😉 )
Oh gosh this book sounds SO AWESOME. Australians in Canada? COUNT ME IN. Australian humor is a little bizarre but in the absolute best possible way (does that even make sense?).I LOVE the way the characters sound too! Two twins one of whom is autistic? And we get to see things from his POV as well? Yeahh that sounds REALLY good. Especially when I get the feeling that the author know exactly what he's talking about. It's super sweet that he wrote this book for his own twins 🙂 I hope that whenever they read this, they'll love it as well!I am definitely going to be looking into this and I just hope it isn't available in Australia only.. that would be a real pity.Lovely review, Cait!! :)Rashika @ The Social Potato
Alright, I'm interested. But, oh! you must see a moose one day.
Incredible review Cait. I love it's told from two completely different voices. Do they mention that he's Autistic, or is it one of those subjective illnesses that are open to interpretation? I can't remember having read anything even remotely similar. It seems that Autism doesn't feature in YA too often, the only other instance I can think of was actually the movie Rainman. It sounds brilliant, I'm always looking for something unusual and this one sounds as though it'll be a winner with YA readers. But yeah, sooooo not a road trip.
Hahham I get those impulse-clicks as well! And actually regret the last one I did…Frozen…ugh the book is so confusing and the ratings on Goodreads so low. BUT, wow, I'm glad you ended up liking a lot of stuff in this booka and 4.5 means this book MUST be really good! Thanks for the great review and for sharing too (didn't hear about this one before BTW.)
Oh I just love how this one is full of Aussie humour, we love our fair dinkums and prawns on the barbie don't we Cait? The cover is so eye-catching, but even after reading your review I'm still confused as to why it mentions mooses!
Look at that cover! *drools* So pretty!I've never been to Canada! But how I love to go there. Just added it on my TBR! Sometimes even though I haven't been in the place of the setting of the book, just reading about it makes me feel like I'm there. I'm excited to read this one! :DBrilliant review, Cait! <3Paula M. @ Her Book Thoughts!
Oh this book sounds so wonderful! I LOVE Canada but have never visited. My friends and I have this running joke that Canada is Heaven and the only way we'll get to visit it is when we are free of our sins and whatnot. (as you can see our humour is pretty dark and weird). Anyways HOW DID I NOT KNOW OF THIS BOOK? Especially considering the author has a personal reason for writing this book which I'm pretty sure would give me all the feels. Wow. Great review, Cait! 🙂
YOU AND ME BOTH, ANA. I love covers. And the colours are kind of unusual for a book and therefore stick out more and I just luuuurve them so much. Justine is definitely not your typical YA heroine. I loved her for that too. Breath of fresh air! And also: Canada, eh? It's worth it for Canada.BROTHER BEAR IS A FABULOUS MOVIE.
You do! I highly recommend it.
HUMOUR BUDDIES! YAAAY! *hi fives* Sarcasm is the best. I was trying to explain Aussie humour to someone the other day and realise that we say soooo much stuff completely sarcastically. Like even walking into a miserable wet day we'll be like, "This is great." SO FUNNY ACTUALLY.
WHAT. What are you doing in Canada if you're not bare-back riding wild moose? Seriously. 😉 Heeeh, I'm kidding. People assume we ride kangaroos. We do not. We mostly run over them on highways on accident. I AM SORRY FOR MISREPRESENTING YOUR COUNTRY. (Also provinces oops…I learnt something though, eh? <— SEE WHAT I DID THERE TOO?!!)
Awww. SORRY KRISTANA. I'm pretty sure people will still find this book awesome if they're not from Canada/Australia. It's just me who is letting out all the lame puns.
HEY. Be nice. I like books where people don't die. Sometimes.
I totally agree with you! It's more personal if the author knows and I just find it awesome. Personally. 😉 It always makes me trust the book more…maybe this is the reason I don't trust vampire books. *ponders*
I AM HAPPY. I hope you get a chance to eat it. IT'S WORTH IT. And it's pretty! That counts too, right?!I'm pretty sure the "eh" thing is just a myth. 😐 Which is sad. It's funny. Why do people invent myths about other countries?! IT CONFUSES ME.
It is! REALLY gives you an awesome look into their individual perceptions and oh gosh, there are some sad and nerve-wracking moments.
I know what you mean! I just LOVE it.
Handcuff me, honestly. Or blind fold me, maybe? That'd stop the reviews. *nods* IT'S A PLAN. I do not know any Canadians. 😐 Except I've watched Brother Bear, but isn't that in Alaska? Or is it in Canada? I honestly have no idea.
BUT I LIKE TO SAY MEESE. Don't crush my dreams.
BUT I HAD TO MAKE THE LAME JOKES. I JUST HAD TO. MY BRAIN BEGGED ME TO.No…no you were right the first time. I ONLY HAVE AN IPOD TO READ ON. *weeps a little* This is why I don't really make good use of NetGalley. It's a pain to read on iPods. It IS.
What are you talking about you don't live in an igloo? PFFT. I know you do, Larissa. Don't lie to me. I can just see you cuddling penguins while your WiFi freezes. I'm doing my best with the stereotypes. LAME PUNS ARE MY FORTE. I definitely trust the author an awful lot because he has first hand experience. That's the thing with mental illness and disabilities, you have to write them right or it's an unfair representation, you know?! So I love this book and I'm hugely fond of it. XD
I agree! LOVE the credibility! XD Definitely wins points for me, also, and yessss to sarcasm. It is like the true language of Australia and it was so super well done here.
Whatwhatwhat. NOT AVAILABLE?! *cries for you*You and me both for moose. And I think Dean when someone says Squirrel.
I don't know actually….if it's a huge culture clash. I think Canadians are probably too nice, while Australians are all laid back and mean to each other. *nods* There is THAT. But yay for siblings, right?! I LOVE SIBLINGS IN BOOKS.
Now, I wanna go to Australia!
HEY. WE ARE NOT BIZARRE. Okay, maybe we are. We always say the opposite of what we mean…in the driest of dry sarcasm. It's awesome. We rock. GO AUSSIE. *finishes patriotic moment*It was super interesting to see from both perspectives because they complimented each other so well and it was just super interesting. LOVED IT. Especially since I 100% trusted the authors research. 😉 I think his twins aren't in their teens yet?? I read it on his blog. But yes, I think it'd be awesome if my parents dedicated a book to me, right?!
I watch Sam on Supernatural at least, so I have that going for me.
It's more of the subjective-brain-illness. I don't believe they actually say Autism, but it's got all the signs and the author definitely says his child is autistic. I can actually on think of one YA book which goes into Autism. It's a shame! There should be more of it. I like learning about these things. XD
Darn those impulse-clicks, right?! But in this case I was so happy. ^-^ OMG DON'T TELL ME THAT ABOUT FROZEN. I just did it too!!! *wails* I'M REGRETTING THAT DECISION NOW.
Too right, mate. 😉 I love the stereo-Aussie-types particularly because half of them are utterly ridiculous and we don't even DO it. Have you ever ridden a kangaroo? See. Ridiculous. But they're funny. x) I was just being lame with the moose puns, because Canada = moose (in my brain anyway).
It is, right?! I LOVE that cover. I haven't been to Canada, but I've seen movies and read books. WHICH COUNTS, RIGHT?!
HA. Your humour is awesome….a lot like mine. Only I say Heaven is more like…mmm, the library? lol A library full of food and books. THAT would be perfection. Leave me right there. *ahem* I get sad because I don't think Aussie authors are promoted widely enough and there's some real GOLDEN Aussie books out there!
You had me sold the minute you said moose. I don't know why, but I saw moose and suddenly knew I needed to read this book. Plus, I just want all the humour because it sounds perfect. Justine's imaginings on how she should be greeted had me laughing so hard. I also adore the cover and just… EVERYTHING! 🙂 I NEED THIS BOOK.
Moose = Sam Winchester, THAT'S WHY. It's a great selling point. But I'm sad everyone's debunking my meese theory. YOU DO NEED THIS BOOK. ASAP.
"There are some serious NO STAHP moments, and then I just wanted to hug my kindle." LIES CAIT LIES
WHAT? Are you accusing me of UNTRUTHS?! (Are you reading it right now??)
I loved loved LOVED this book. It was beautiful. And I loved the fair dinkum Aussieness of it. It wasn't OTT, it was just right. You were so right about the humour. It was a little predictable, but when the story's this good I usually just go by that old saying "it's all about the journey, not the destination". And what a journey!