You know that moment when you finish a book and think, “YEAH I’M GONNA SIT HERE AND SMILE AND PERHAPS SHRIEK ONCE OR TWICE AND NOD ENTHUSIASTICALLY”? Because HUZZAH I just had that feeling. I really enjoyed devouring One Would Think The Deep! I mean, I have a small surfboard load of quibbles, but I just really LIKED this one and shall flap about very pleased with myself and the book for just a decade or so.
It Is Basically About:
- Surfing
- Sam, who is grieving the death of his mother and is an angry cinnamon roll
- 1990s music because it’s set in the 1990s so this is logical
- The most messed up family of the ever
- Copious amounts of hot chips (fries, for the Americans?)
- g’day Aussieness, mate
- I could not put it down basically
- THE WRITING IS A BUCKETFUL OF FANTASTIC.
How do I know? It was addictive. Humans were like “Caaaaait, come do This Thing.” And I was all “THIS BOOK IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW GOODBYE”. (Unless they summoned me for dinner. Then I went. Because #priorities) I am in endless awe of Claire Zorn’s writing, basically. Also it nearly made me cry at the end. I actually had a small emotion in my throat omg.
- THE DIALOGUE IS ENTIRELY REALISTIC.
Which, coincidentally, made it insufferable at times. But still: REALISM WINS. Even though I mentally shouted “USE YOUR WORDS YOU SMALL MUTE GRAPES” several times, I was actually quite happy that no one burst into eloquent soliloques about their feelings. Most people can’t. And I also liked how it contrasted the surfing yobbo speech + skater talk + the average Bob down the road + slightly nerdier humans.
ANYWAY. Here is an example of typical Australian Teenage Boy Speak:
“Yeah. He was always dodge, ay. Like, he’d disappear for weeks and if we asked Mum where he was she’d go crook at us. I mean, he didn’t work much, so he musta been getting money from somewhere, ay. We were little, but. Didn’t know any different. Looking back on it now, though,” Minty pulled his head back and widened his eyes. “It’s like, shiiiit, ay.”
Okay, granted Minty is what we call a “bogan” meaning he has very small brains. Sam, our narrator, has a little more structure to his speech because a) he’s not a highschool dropout, and b) he is a closet nerd about meteorology, ergo he reads, ergo he speaks better. BUT REGARDLESS: I appreciated some realistic dialogue!
- AND SAM IS 10000% OF THE REASON I LOVED THIS BOOK.
Saaaam, oh the tragic, tortured little shark. With his mother dead after a sudden brain aneurysm, he is just a MESS. Sam’s grief was so palpable, basically. I really felt it. And that’s coming from the Vulcan, yo. NOW TO BRIEFLY DESCRIBE SAM:
- He has a tendency to hit things.
- He has zero idea what to do with his life because he has no motivation
- AKA I’m pretty sure he’s depressed
- Also just generally drowning in emotions he has no idea how to handle
- He’s completely unwanted by his relatives, considering he’s basically been dumped with them
- He’s super quiet.
- He’s actually awful at times BUT he matures throughout the book AND he acknowledged his awfulness.
- HE’S A TRAGIC VIOLENT CINNAMON ROLL AND I LOVED HIM.
- IT ALSO NODDED AT SEVERAL BIG ISSUES.
I wouldn’t say it was an “issue book”, but it did briefly touch upon:
- SEXISM: Sam’s cousin, Minty, is horrible sexist, as are all his friends. They treat women as objects and are just AWFUL. Sam is a shallow fish and doesn’t combat this at the beginning, but at the end he IS speaking up and IS telling Minty to stow it.
- MEN CAN’T CRY: Which, obviously, is tripe. But at one point Sam is just furious because he wants to cry over his mum but, as a boy, he feels like he can’t. I hate that society even thinks this way and I’m glad the book mentioned it AND, later on let Sam cry.
- OTHER PEOPLE DEFINE YOU: It’s an interesting topic! And it is true and not always in a bad way! People do make you. Sam’s mother was his everything; moral compass, encourager, motivator. And with her gone, who was he? One of the secondary characters, Ruby, is an adopted Aboriginal but doesn’t know her people. She questions if knowing would define her. Sam’s aunt and cousins were horribly domestically abused and this totally shapes how they live and react to life.
- BOYS CANNOT LIVE ON CHIPS ALONE:
I mean, this sucks. How dare this be a reality. But apparently no, you can’t just live on deep fried potatoes and DO NEED OTHER FOOD GROUPS AND THIS WAS HARD FOR ME TO HANDLE but I appreciate the author tackling such heavy topics.
- THE SURFING LINGO WAS ALL PRETTY BORING.
Oops? I mean, maybe surfers would enjoy this part?!? But I was 10000% confused and bored. I kind of switched off during the descriptions of the waves.
- ALL THE 80s/90s MUSIC WAS EQUALLY ERGHHHHH.
Whooost. OVER MY HEAD. I don’t have a single clue in the history of EVER who all the artists they yabbered on about were. And the detail about it??? It was intense. And I didn’t care. So unless you care about 80s/90s music, you might find yourself skimming those parts too. (Honestly it befuddles me why I loved the book so much because of being bored over these two huge factors. BUT! The writing = brilliant. And Sam = tragic violent cinnamon roll. So that must be it.)
All in all: I name this one a monstrous success for me.
I loved Claire Zorn’s The Protected and The Sky So Heavy, so this really shouldn’t be a surprise. Although THIS ONE IS MY FAVOURITE OF THE 3. And have you seen the cover?!? Trippy, man.
I loved how homey and Australian it felt and the writing and characters just totally devoured my eyeballs. Plus beaches are always a win because beaches are NICE. Although I have a hot chip craving now. I think we should honestly consider retitling this One Would Think The Chip. Because yum.
THANK YOU TO UQP FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. One Would Think The Deep by Claire Zorn was published in May 2016.
It’s 1997 and seventeen-year-old Sam is mourning the sudden loss of his mum …
Sam has always had things going on in his head that no one else understands, even his mum. And now she’s dead, it’s worse than ever.
With nothing but his skateboard and a few belongings in a garbage bag, Sam goes to live with the strangers his mum cut ties with seven years ago: Aunty Lorraine and his cousins Shane and Minty.
Despite the suspicion and hostility emanating from their fibro shack, Sam reverts to his childhood habit of following Minty around and is soon surfing with Minty to cut through the static fuzz in his head. But as the days slowly meld into one another, and ghosts from the past reappear, Sam has to make the ultimate decision … will he sink or will he swim.
I NEED THIS BOOK. I don’t surf, but still! I haven’t come across many Aussie contemporaries, and I want to learn about this tragic cinnamon roll. Plus that cover is GORGEOUS and would look marvelous on my bookshelf. I can always skip the surfing and music sections (because when I mean I don’t surf I mean the waves in Thailand are literally so tiny it would be impossible).
As for if I prefer excellent characters or excellent plots…hmm…I think I’ll say excellent characters because excellent characters should create excellent plots! (I hope) 😀
ALL THE VIOLENT GRIEVING TRAGIC CINNAMON ROLL IN THIS BOOK OMG. *hugs it* And I can throw like a gazillion Aussie contemporary recommendations at you if you ever need it. 😉 #helpful And isn’t the cover awesome?!? Like it’s upside down and SO COOL.
This does sound quite interesting! I have no clue about anything to do with surfing, so maybe I might skim those parts too 🙂 I’m pretty sure I’d be very lost reading this book, especially since there seems to be a lot of 80-90s references and also Australian slang. Eek! Sam seems like an interesting character and I really want to read about him! Cool review! 😀
I was a bit lost too with all the 90s references, tbh. 😂 Which is SHAME ON ME since I was born in the 90s but pfft it’s not like I was paying attention. Ahem. But I like the thought of surfing even if I don’t actually get it.😂
I would also die if I tried to surf. When we were at the beach for schoolies week, we had this fun game where five of us would link hands and stand waist deep in the water and get wrecked by the waves. #funtimes
Teenagers are so dumb, honestly.
BUT YES I LOVED THE DIALOGUE. Mostly because I know a lotttt of people who speak like that. Haha. So I know it’s realistic. And Sam <3 <3 my precious violent cinnamon roll.
What is it they say? Small things amuse small minds? HAHAHAH JUST KIDDING OMG I’M SO MEAN HOW DO YOU PUT UP WITH ME. 😂 Ahem. I always had this fun game in the ocean of my sister stands out somewhere in the deeper part and I climb on her back so nothing creepy touches my feet. Really fun. I’m sure she enjoyed it.
And zomg I know right?!? My brother speaks exactly like that.😂 SAM WAS EVERYTHING THOUGH I LIKED HIM AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT.
I saw the title “ANGRY SURFING CINNAMON ROLLS” and had to click on this. I love your way with words, Cait.
I’m so delightfully eloquent sometimes omg. :’)
Hi, Cait! 🙂
Went back to your blog a few times the last week to check on your posts. 🙁 I’m so glad you’re back! 🙂
This sounds such a good book! I love depressing books for some reason (cause Spuds is weird). The one you recommended: “You’re the kind of girl I write songs about” sounds good! 🙂 I shall look for that one. 😀
Hope to read more of your posts this week. 😀
Awww, THIS MAKES ME SMILE SO HUGELY. *commences quiet flailing* AHEM. BUT ANYWAY. Depressing books are great. Which is…so weird to say. Ahem. But I do like little angry grieving characters and also characters named Sam so I WAS DOOMED TO LIKE THIS ONE.
Eeeep, YOU ARE SO NICE. 😀 I have a post coming up tomorrow about book writing.😂
I think the plot and characters should be equally awesome, but I need a book with a awesome plot. I have (love) hated characters and I have loved characters, but if I don’t like the plot I put the book down. I am not a surfer person, and will not go that far out into the ocean. I like the beach but I only like to wade in. My dad took me to a lake once (this was before I knew of drop offs [stupid of me because HELLO, Finding Nemo]) and he didn’t warn me. I was walking then I fell unexpectedly. I know how to swim, but I hate the underwater part(hate is an understatement, I am deathly afraid of going underwater). I went underwater when I fell and came back up but I never go far out anymore. Oh, and why can’t we live off of fries (chips), especially curly (now I want fries)? If I could live off of one thing for the rest of my life it would be Lasagna. I LOVE (AM OBSESSED) WITH LASAGNA! If you could live off of one thing for the rest of your life what would it be? Wait, let me guess……CAKE! Am I right? (P.S. Does this book take place in Australia?)
Fair enough! I’m pretty much opposite here in that I need the characters to be good or I can’t handle the book.😂 hehe. BUT OH OH A GOOD PLOT IS STILL ABSOLUTELY AWESOME AND NEEDED. *nods sagely*
Eeep, that would be quite scary if you weren’t expected the drop off. I’ve been swimming in the surf as a kid and knocked down by a wave SO BIG that it literally kept me under for quite a while…like it was that heavy I couldn’t get back up. I must’ve been like 7 or something. YET I STILL LOVE THE OCEAN.😂
OMG I LOVE LASAGNA TOO BUT I HAVEN’T HAD IT IN YEARS AND NOW I HAVE A CRAVING THANKS A LOT, LEAH. I probably would actually choose lasagna too if I had to live off it FOREVER. I mean, I love cake. Cake is life. But I really like savories too.😂 Shhh, don’t tell cake.
And YES! This book is Australian. WOOT WOOT.
Yaaaaas! Wasn’t it magnificent! I’m not a surfer, I don’t even use the word dude, but I think Sam using the ocean and surfing as a means of escapism is pretty universal. I love how it really showed the warts of Aussie culture, the backwater sexism, the toughen up mentality which was is still such a massive problem among males even today. But what is it with you and Sam’s? You’ll marry a Sam, name your first born Sam. His sister’s name will also be Sam. I see a lot of Sam’s in your future.
I’m a psychic, I totally know these things. Awesome review smushter <3
OMG YOU’VE FOUND ME OUT, KELLY. MY SECRET LOVE OF THE NAME SAM. Well, apparently not so secret. But omg, I’m nearly doomed to like fictional Sams, it’s a bit of a worry. In absence of marrying a Sam, I shall at least adopt a fish at some point and name it Sam. Or get Atticus a friend. (Except Atticus hates everything, but whatever.) I’ve got a book character in one of my novels named Sam….but that surprises no one, does it?😂
Great review/post! 🙂
I love the beach! Actually, I’m going to spend 3 1/2 weeks at the North Sea this summer. ^-^ Admittedly, the only reason is that my internship position is in Bremerhaven which happens to lie at the coast…but still. Free weekends at the beach! Although I’d probably die trying to surf, too. X’D
If I had to decide between a great plot or awesome characters, I would choose the latter. I always end up loving character driven books and I think they are rarer than those with a good plot. Although a captivating plot never hurts… 😉
Oooh, yay for summers at the beach! I live like 30mins from the beach and yet I’ve only been twice this WHOLE YEAR.😂 #lazy I definitely don’t have the coordination for surfing, omg. Some people are just to talented.
and YES ME TOO. Characters first forever. <3
Only 3o min? Oh, I’m envious! It’s three hours from where I live. ^-^’
Yes, I see people doing all those cool moves while struggling to NOT run into my own doorframe. X’D
I am a fan of the beach, which is why I refuse to watch movies like Jaws and The Shallows. I don’t want to be terrified of large bodies of water.
I feel like characters are more important than plot. I am more likely to finish a book that has A++ characters than I am to finish a book that has a great plot, but terrible characters.
This book sounds really good! I added it to my TBR.
Omg I walked into the lounge room while my dad and brother were watching Jaws. FOREVER TRAUMATISED BY THE 20 MINS OF THE ENDING THAT I SAW. IT WAS SO FAKE AND YET I WAS SO TRAUMATISED.
And *nods* I agree with that! like plots can be totally cliche or not my “thing” but if the characters are afjdksald adorable…I’M STILL HOOKED. <3
OOh, this book sounds awesome! *adds to ever-growing TBR pile* I’m not much of a surfer, but your description of Sam has me intrigued. And craving cinnamon rolls…
Omg Sam is such a precious beast. <333 I have such a weakness for angry little character. eeeep.
WELL I’M JUST HERE TO SAY I SCREAMED INTERNALLY WHEN I SAW AN ISAAC LAHEY GIF. THAT’S ALL 😂😜
Still this sounds really interesting! It’s not my kind of jam because I’m kind of over binge-reading contemporary, but I guess I’ll pick it up after I binge-read fantasy or some speculative genre. Because that is how I read.
(AND WHOA I met Amy Zhang yesterday! I was in line at 4:30 am and surprisingly was the 19th in line. She was so sweet and answered my question about writing when they held a Q and A with the readers!!! YES I WILL NEVER GET OVER THE FACT I MET AMY AFTER 2 YEARS OF WAITING AND I GOT MY BOOKS SIGNED AND I GOT AN EPIC READS CANVAS BAG *screams*)
ALL THE ISAAC APPRECIATION OVER HERE. I LOVE HIM OMG. *flails* Ahem.😂 And I totally get binge reading! I tend to read more spread-out across the genres just because my picks are so wildly different, buuuuut…left to my own devices I’d probably binge genres read more.😂 Fantasy DOES get exhausting after a while though omg.
AHHHHH YOU MET AMY ZHANG OMG CONGRATS!! YOU’RE LIKE FAMOUS BY ASSOCIATION.
Now this looks interesting, though when I read the quote I was like whaaaaat. Apparently I have to catch up with slang words because I didn’t understand half of it. 😀 But it sounded good and that would be my main reason for picking up the book because I’m linguistic nerd like that. 😀 And the fact that I haven’t read aussie contemporary yet… I guess.
To the big question: excellent plot VS. excellent characters? Charactes all the way. Even though the author messes up the plot and it’s super predictable and horrible, those excellent characters can save it and make it waaaay more interesting. There is nothing worse than a stupid character who doesn’t think about his/her actions. I love interesting and well-written characters. 🙂
Heheh, this is a good book to teach how we Aussies speak. 😉 WELL SOME OF US. I honestly don’t talk like that.😂 AND OMG YES YOU MUST READ SOME AUSSIE CONTEMPORARIES! WE ARE REALLY AWESOME OVER HERE.
And yes I go for characters too. <3 I think they can save a horrible plot, but not so much the other way around. (Not that this plot was "horrible" or anything. 😂)
That is a tough question; an excellent plot or excellent characters? For me, great plot is the most important, book with the excellent plot will not be a marvellous read when characters are not well developed. However what is the use of great characters if they have to exist in a poorly developed world. I had this though when I was reading The Wangs vs. the World – I think characters were fantastic, but the plot was inferior, and I didn’t enjoy the book as much. Characters cannot make the story by themselves.
IT IS A HARD QUESTION. I am the queen of nasty questions mwahahha. *ahem* But YES. I think we need both, obviously, although I’m going to actually pick characters over plot! If I like the characters enough, it can honestly save a dodgy plot for me.😂
I wish I could surf. Not that I’ve ever been to the ocean since I was a few year old, but I love watching people surfing. 😉
Also, characters all the way!!! The plot has to be solid, but if I can’t connect to the characters then no matter how engaging the plot is, I’ll put the book down. Or, possibly, skim to the end to see what happens. 🙂
Surfing is just soooo cooooool. I occasionally watch surfy movies and just think about how nice it’d be to be so coordinated. :’)
I have yet to read this one cause I’ve been hearing so many different things about it. I really don’t know how I would go with the slag – I never really grew up with it, there is a lot of Europeans, and people from the Middle East and Asian countries in my area – so I never grew up with ‘bogans’ around me – if you get what I mean.
However, I really enjoyed The Protected, so I might give it a go.
IT IS GOOD. IGNORE EVERYONE ELSE. TRUST ME. *beams happily* hehe I fell like if you live in Australia you’re still going to appreciate the Aussie-ness. heh. 😉
This isn’t really about this review (which was awesome and made me add the book to my TBR Goodreads list and Amazon wishlist…thankssomuchnot), but I just found your blog and it’s so refreshing and generally awesome! I’m sure you hear that a lot but I just wanted to tell you because I came to your site and it literally brightened my evening.
Or not Amazon, because it’s not available in the US? Boo.
Wah, it’s SO HARD to get Aussie books overseas sometimes!! It really frustrates me because our books are so so good and we need the whoooole world to devour them *nods*
AND OMG WELCOME TO MY BLOG AND HELLO, LIZZY, AND CAKE FOR YOU. <3
I have surfed once. But it was in Sri Lanka and the water was all warm and the waves were all hie and tame so it wash”t as exciting and dramatic as it sounds (but still just as cool and hard. Just not cold or dramatic). But I don’t know any surf lingo or anything (the nearest sea is hundreds of kilometres away). And hot chips=delicious (although the realisation that ‘boy cannot live on chips alone’ is bot dramatic and awful :'() . Also I know NO 80s/90s music (I barely know ’10s music, tbh. I really don’t listen to this stuff) so that sounds a bit boring.
I barely know music AT ALL of EVER. I mean, I’m better with the 1800s, basically. Hell Beethoven, I can talk Beethoven. #nerd 😂 And omg the ocean is 100kms from you?! POOR THING. I’m about 30mins away from it…except…that doesn’t really make much of a difference because I’ve been like twice this year. #fail
I’ve never read anything by an Aussie author. I’m kind of intrigued. I’ve always considered Australia as part of the West (well it is!) and basically have drawn the entire population and culture with a broad brush that also paints over the general American populace. I understand that’s really stupid of me to do… but I need some help to break out of this… idea. And well, if I cannot actually go to Australia, I might as well read some books, eh? Could this book be a good start?
Omg, noooooo, our culture is SO nothing like America.😂 I think we’re closer to the British than America, tbh, but if you REALLY get down to it, we have such a different culture and way of doing things. <3 I read mostly American literature, so it's SUPER NICE to read books that are so homey. <3 This would be a good start!! I have SO many epic Aussie recommendations...omg maybe I should do a post on it, right?!?
You totally should!! It’s crazy how little I know about Australian culture. I feel kinda dumb, hehe. But… YES on the Aussie lit rec post!
Hmm, this sounds intriguing. And YES TO CHARACTERS BEING BROODY, DAMAGED DARLINGS (within reason). And I will eat all the fries (or hot chips…I guess). Potatoes for DAYS.
I just finished Whisper to Me, and OMG SO GOOD. I was almost crying at one part because, let’s be honest, that book was intense. I am so in love with that style it was written in. ABSOLUTE BEAUTY.
YES. Within reason broody cinnamon rolls <--- #accurate POTATOES ARE GLORIOUS CREATIONS AND YOU BASICALLY CAN'T GO WRONG WITH A POTATO. Zomg yayyyy for Whisper to Me! ISN'T IT JUST INCREDIBLE?!??! And honestly entirely underrated. We need to both just throw it at EVERYONE so they read it AHHHHHHH.
I’m not sure which is more important between plot and characters. I guess… characters. But only by the slightest of margins. If nothing much is happening in a book, I don’t really care how great the characters are.
I don’t surf. It’s too cold here for most of the year, and you can’t really do it except at Tofino, which involves a long ferry trip, then a long car trip, and by the time I got there I’d probably be too tired to surf. So… I haven’t tried it. (Plus, when I was a kid, I saw a bloodied surfer lying on the beach in California who’d just tangled with a wave and lost. That kind of put me off surfing.)
I do sort of like the beach, but mostly for walking on and taking pictures of stuff. I’m not really a fan of sunbathing or playing in the sand.
I get that! Although I honestly can overlook a LOT of plot failings if I love the characters a lot. <333 Like I always end up rating VE Schwab books like 5-stars even though I think not that much happens plot wise.😂 BUT THE CHARACTERS = AFJDKSLAFJD
Omg, that would be terrifying to see someone get mangled surfing :O My older sisters used to surf because we used to live like 5 minutes from the beach. But I was never interested. I body-surfed though! If I could get on top of the wave instead of squashed below it hahahha. Guess who is not the most coordinated. *raises hand* -_-
Your bookish photography/bookstagram is goals. I just love the pictures you take. Touch me your ways please. Do another tutorial thingy. So glad you loved this book. Thanks for visiting my blog. Always makes my day 😀
OMG THANKYOU! *blushes* I mean, I don’t even know what I do for the photos!😂 I just dump tons of stuff in the frame and snap away hahah. But doing a post in it would be fun…it’s on my to-do list!
I’m glad to hear you enjoyed it Cait! Your two main reasons why you disliked the book is also why I didn’t actually enjoy it. The language and detail on surfing/90s music I just found really boring and distracting. Lovely review!
At least the characters still won me over so that negative part didn’t ruin the book for me.😂 But yeah the music really befuddled me. I’m SO not a music-y person ahhaha.
Excellent review! Sam seems like an interesting character, and I love that the issues he struggles with are so relatable (especially for those who have suffered from a mild depression and lack of motivation). I also don’t know anything about surfing or 80s-90s music, but I prefer excellent characters, because a plot is pointless with flat characters!
YES. Sam was definitely relatable. <3 And like he had tons of flaws but I found it just made him realistic instead of irritating or anything. ALL THE LOVE FOR THIS SAM. *nods sagely*
I like a character driven story myself. I get where you are coming from with getting bored when a book goes into too much detail about a subject. I recently read a middle grade that went into great detail about baseball with all the lingo, and of all things… woodcarving. It was neither about baseball, nor woodcarving. Ha ha! I like YA books that tackle issues, but do it in a way that doesn’t grind it in your face for 90% of the book. Thanks for the heads up about this book. 🙂
ME TOO. I’m all for characters honestly! I can mostly look past annoying plot aspects if the characters are awesome. :’) But heh, I can imagine wood carving being a bit tedious too. And YES. I like when the book has issues but isn’t exactly an issue book? If that makes sense?
I’ve read a few reviews of this book lately and I really, really want to read it. In consolation for waiting I am currently reading The Sky So Heavy and am enjoying that. Hot chips are the best. My school cafe sells them. Yum. Anyway. I can’t wait to read it sometime in the near future.
Oooh, I did so like The Sky So Heavy too! Isn’t Claire Zorn just AMAZING THO?!?! I LOVE HER BOOKS. <3 And yessss. I think I could at least make a good effort of living on hot chips. JUST SAYIN'.😂
Omg did you actually find Minty’s speech realistic?? I just found incredibly, frustratingly annoying. Like, REALLY GODDAMN ANNOYING. As a 14 year old boy who goes to an all-boys school and has regular interactions with people like that – NONE OF THEM SPEAK LIKE THAT. NONE. Not even the people who are supposed to be Minty – the “fresh, kool” kids. Even they don’t speak like that. It was just horribly infuriating. (I’m curious, though, have you ever seen anyone speak like that in real life?)
HHAHHAHAH OMG….yes. My brother.😑 I’m not even exaggerating! He 100% speaks like Minty…I wonder if it’s like the part of Australia you come from??? Like I grew up in a pretty small town in FNQ and then my brother spent a lot of time in the NT. (Not that I know actually what part of OZ you’re in, but I guess NSW or Vic? *guesses wildly*) But I swear, he just sounds exactly like Minty (and all the blokes he hangs out with are the same). heh. 😂
PS. I just was thinking about what I said about it maybe the slang being from what part of Australia someone is from AND REALISED THAT’S COMPLETE RUBBISH SINCE THIS BOOK WAS SENT IN SYDNEY HAHHAHA. *facepalm* Ignore me. I know nothing. Let’s just assume the uneducated bogans are the ones that talk like this.😑
LOVED this review…I’m not WAY into contemporary, but as usual your words make me curious!
Also…characters are more important. I can get behind really great characters essentially doing nothing….I have trouble backing Buttheads or total dolts on the epic journey of awesomeness when…the whole time I’m like “I don’t care…you are nothing to me.”
THIS IS GRAND NEWS, RISA ANN. I AM GLAD. *flails* And I’m also not a huge contemporary fan so I always get excited when I find one I adore. :’) And agreed *nods* characters are super important. I can look past things I don’t like in the plot if I love the characters.
This seems interesting… I’ve never read an Australian book before (I think…). It’s funny because yesterday I learned what a bogan (YouTube) was and now you brought it up! XP
And chips, chips. BRING ON THE CHIPSSS MAN?
YAY FOR LEARNING WORDS. Bogan is such a weird word.😂 But to be honest Australia is FULL OF STRANGE WORDS. Ahem. But you haven’t read even a single Aussie book?! *GASPS* GRACE!! YOU MUST SOMEDAY!
I really want to read this one because it sounds great and I have been wanting to read a Claire Zorn book for aaaaaaages. Fabulous review Cait!
You MUST. And I think this is the best Zorn book so an excellent place to start. :’)
Wonderful review, Cait! I am unsure about this book because… surfing doesn’t really appeal to me. But Saaam! And his grief! I’m also put off by the lingo, because I don’t understand British slang, so I’m going to get lost with various Aussie slang, I think. But it still sounds awesome!
I LOVE THE COVER! It kind of made me think… if that cover was over here, it would make perfect sense, in a way, because we are on opposite sides of the world, and your up is my down, and my down is your up. “Down Under” and all that. So the cover looks odd, but it’s like.. if a photo was taken of the beach in Aus, and was transported to the UK without twisting and turning or whatever… when it got here, IT WOULD BE UPSIDE DOWN! Right? Does that make sense? Oh my god, Cait. When we’re standing, our heads are pointing in opposite directions. That is unnerving.
But wonderful review! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I do get that! I mean, I don’t think the book is really suffocatingly Australian the WHOLE time, if that makes sense.😂 Like Sam, the protagonist isn’t as Aussie in his speaking as Minty was.😂 BUT ANYWAY IT’S ALL HOMEY FOR ME SO I LOVED IT.
hahahah. Well I GUESS that could be an explanation for the upside-down cover. Or maybe just how grief throws you upside down?
I am conflicted over this because I do not care about surfing. I also heard plenty of 80s and 90s music you know, while I was alive then and listening to it? I don’t mind a few drops of nostalgia here and there, but I also don’t need a history of late-second-millennium pop music either. You totally gave me ANOTHER idea for a post- I will tell you about it later, away from all the eyes looking to steal the only idea I have had in WEEKS. (Paranoid much, me?)
But okay I have the author’s other two books on my TBR. I am on the fence with this one. BUt then you loved it soooo… idk. I have other reasons why I am hesitant! Ready? Okay! So my son’s name is Sam. And as his mother, I do not want to keel over via an aneurysm? And then have him be salty with everyone forever? Can you promise me that you won’t write tragic characters named Sam? Thanks. I am also sick of reading about characters named Sam in general- I read THREE books last week that had Sam characters. Enough, people! I didn’t realize this when I gave my child the name.
Also, Minty is the ship name for Monty and Miller in The 100- a ship that looks doomed, frankly, because Miller’s boyfriend won’t die and Monty is hooking up with some girl he has no chemistry with (because he SHOULD be with Miller, duh). Sorry, I feel like that was more than you needed to know. But at least you’ve learned a fun fact for the day. #TheMoreYouKnow
I feel like I should know at least SOME 80s/90s music? I MEAN I’M FROM 1994 AFTER ALL, SO WHAT WAS 6 YEAR OLD ME DOING??? Listening to Twinkle Twinkle or something? Pfft. Anyway. I am absolutely unknowledgeable about music then, and music now tbh.
OOOOOOH. I’M CURIOUS ABOUT THIS POST. And you’re welcome for me being so inspiring. *flips hair majestically*
Please do not keel over though. I would miss you. <3 Also I love the name Sam so I think your naming skills for your own small humans are glorious. And, um, okay, so I'm actually ABOUT TO WRITE A TRAGIC SAM. BECAUSE I LOVE THE NAME AND I CAN'T HELP IT ANY LONGER I MUST WRITE A SAM. Forgive me? *puppy dog eyes*
Dude, when will I stop being such a procrastinator and WATCH THE 100??? PLEASE SOMEONE ANSWER ME THIS. I WANT TO KNOW ALL THE THINGS ABOUT THAT SHOW.
So this sounds so fantastic! I want to read it!
I might even want to read the realistic-to-a-fault dialogue. At least it would be relatable. XD (What is the funny thing with us humans and being unable to communicate emotion? I mean, the best I can ever get out is, “I really, really love, that, uh, that *flails* THING, yes. That thing over there.”) That and I don’t live in Australia? So I think it would be fascinating to notice the differences.
Like chips. I didn’t know Aussies called fries chips. (Or is the other way? Americans call chips. . . oh, never mind.) So then what do you call curly fries? Are they curly chips? Or ALL YOUR CHIPS CURLY AND THE *NORMAL* ONES FOR AMERICANS, you know the straight ones, do they get called something different.
I think I’m overthinking foreign fries. . .
Ahem, outside of fries, er chips, er, DEEP FRIED POTATOES OF GOODNESS. . . this sounds like a good book. I think the surfing could be fun, hopefully? And the characters sound great. With the exception of Minty.
And now I want some fries.
Ooh, YES. I mean, I’m basically throwing this at EVERYONE but here let me throw it at you too because ‘STRAYA MATE.
OMG CHIPS IS SO HARD. So like hot chips? We call them chips. And then chips you get in a packet (like salt and vinegar potato chips, for instance) we also call chips.😑 So basically it’s hot chips vs chips. AND I DON’T EVEN KNOW IF WE HAVE CURLY FRIES???? Tbh, language is very hard when it comes to food. *collapses* And I also have a chip/fry craving now so, yeah, who wrote this review???? Srsly they need to stop.😂
Okay, first of all, One Would Think is one hella creative title. I might pick a book up based on that alone. (Well, no I wouldn’t. Because I vet books like crazy before diving in. But let’s just say that a less-discriminatory parallel-universe Lexie might.)
And second of all, MY ENDLESS LOVE FOR TRAGIC LITTLE CINNAMON ROLLS ALREADY FEELS FOR SAM AND I HAVEN’T EVEN, LIKE, HEARD OF THIS BOOK. UNTIL NOW.
Third of all, the fact that we never seem to hear about Aussie books here in Europe is, frankly, insulting. To both sides. Because EVERYTHING AUS-ONLY WHICH I OBTAINED THROUGH MY AUSTRALIAN FAMILY SO FAR HAS BEEN INTENSELY DELICIOUS. Though that dialogue would potentially drive me crazy. (Then again, when I go see my parents who actually own a TV because they actually watch TV, I have a tendency to watch THE MOST BORING TV SHOW IN THE UNIVERSE, even though I DON’T watch TV, just because it’s 100% Australian and the dialogue is basically fantastic.) So maybe I get used to it? Hopefully? I mean, you did? Granted, you’re FROM Australia, but so far I’ve seen no evidence of you talking like Minty ever, so hopefully the getting-used-to-it thing is universal.
And surfer-specific topics are also universal…ly BORING to every non-surfer on the planet, probably. You are NOT alone.
I’m SO not picky about what I read….ahhhhh I probably should be a bit more?! BUT I JUST WANNA READ EVERYTHING ADN IT’S A PROBLEM. Ahem. Anyway! this is a fantastic little bookish creature and I’ll hug it forever. I have a name-crush on the name Sam though, SO I’M BIASED TO LOVE HIM ALREADY BASICALLY.
Australia is actually AWFUL about getting books overseas. I cry, I do. Duuuude, the dialogue is AWESOME though. It’s so Australian. :’) It’s so homey.😂 And it’s definitely not over-the-top or anything in this one. Like only one character is pretty much that bad. The rest are a little tamer.😂
I had to laugh at your “big issue” of the chips – this is, indeed, a heavy topic that needed to be addressed. I’m glad that the author had the courage to go there!
I’ll have to check this book out. I seem to love books set in Australia, and I actually lived through the 80’s and 90’s, so that part wouldn’t throw me at all. Surf lingo would go over my head too, but it sounds like the book was definitely worth it.