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A review by bethadele
One True Thing by Nicole Hayes
5.0
Nicole Hayes is a magnificent rising force in Australian Publishing. One True Thing is an all encompassing tale of truths and untruths, perception versus reality and how to not go "Amanda-Bynes-Twitter-Melt-Down-crazy" when life hands you so many lemons you could create your own brand of lemonade.
Frankie is a 16 year old Rock Goddess with dreams of taking her band to great and dizzying heights. And whilst the music never lets her down, Frankie soon finds that people are a different story. Being the Premiers daughter is hard enough, but being the premiers daughter during an election when there's a shock jock out to take your Mum down, and a scandal with more heat than a volcanic eruption...no one would blame her if she DID go Amanda Bynes Crazy.
With what is becoming her trademark ability to create characters that are deeply complex and compelling Hayes explores a litany of themes. Identity, relationships, media, truth, life, love and family. There's a truly wonderful feminist bent to much of what Hayes writes (even in The Whole of my World though not as obvious as it is here in One True Thing) and the turbulent relationship through mothers and daughters is so wonderfully done.
On a side note, the character of Travis Matthews, he's both repugnant and deeply compelling, and I have to expect nothing less of Hayes who gives as much attention to detail to her background characters as she does to her main cast. Every word leaps off the page. If John Green has a contemporary then Nicole Hayes is it.
Frankie is a 16 year old Rock Goddess with dreams of taking her band to great and dizzying heights. And whilst the music never lets her down, Frankie soon finds that people are a different story. Being the Premiers daughter is hard enough, but being the premiers daughter during an election when there's a shock jock out to take your Mum down, and a scandal with more heat than a volcanic eruption...no one would blame her if she DID go Amanda Bynes Crazy.
With what is becoming her trademark ability to create characters that are deeply complex and compelling Hayes explores a litany of themes. Identity, relationships, media, truth, life, love and family. There's a truly wonderful feminist bent to much of what Hayes writes (even in The Whole of my World though not as obvious as it is here in One True Thing) and the turbulent relationship through mothers and daughters is so wonderfully done.
On a side note, the character of Travis Matthews, he's both repugnant and deeply compelling, and I have to expect nothing less of Hayes who gives as much attention to detail to her background characters as she does to her main cast. Every word leaps off the page. If John Green has a contemporary then Nicole Hayes is it.