Grow
Luke Palmer
Firefly Press, July 2021
Paperback, £7.99
ISBN 9781913102395
It is impressive to read how well Luke Palmer has introduced the grieving process in Grow. The protagonist really tackles the process of grief, and the idea that there is no such thing as as a set length of time when it comes to mourning the loss of someone. This book isn’t happy-go-lucky sweet. It’s dark and gripping until the final pages and it is so worth it.
Grow looks at the bereavement of a teenage boy who lost his father during a bomb attack on a train. It has been two years and Josh certainly has not dealt with the loss in a healthy way. Things get unhealthier when he finds himself in a group of violent white supremacists, who stir hatred towards asylum seekers and blame the so-called “them” for everything they perceive as wrong with society.
The most enjoyable part of the reading process might be the fact that you constantly want to close your eyes and stop reading. Palmer is great at visualising everything with very few words which makes it even more delicious reading.
While it is a sad and dark story, there is still a love story hidden within. You could consider it a love story between mother and son, and a love story between two best friends who need to reunite. It is a story about moving on, and the last few steps one needs to take before moving on from the death of their father. Grow is perfect for anyone who enjoys thrillers and doesn’t get squeamish when reading about a bit of blood.
Anet Rumberg
This book helps to bring everything together in the series. We get to find out more about Rollo and what actually happened on his Justitium weekend with Shafeen’s father. The use of diary entries gave a more personal twist to the book, making Shafeen’s father more alive. Knowing Aadhish’s mindset was helpful in giving an insight into the thoughts and feelings of Rollo as a young man and how this might have influenced Henry.
There’s admirable beauty in the world-building of this book. Alongside the humorous tones, there’s an underlying deathly darkness all the same. Raveners, people who serve to protect the antagonists, are described as “omens of death, servants of death, so loyal their bodies don’t even decay.” The tie-in with death was a very interesting element
In her introduction, Crossan states that “poetry belongs to us all”, and the book is particularly aimed at readers who would not otherwise think poetry was for them. Crossan has provided light commentary before most poems: suggested interpretations, author bios, even personal anecdotes. These make the reading experience feel less isolated, gently guided without anything getting over-explained. I did, however, find the occasional footnotes (actually, more so the stars indicating them within the poems) a bit distracting.
The book also contains several new illustrations by Tom Percival, reference guides to characters and other bonus content. The book seems to have a dark story of its own, and features the work of four Archivists, all of whom mysteriously disappear over the course of the book. The Skulduggery Pleasant Grimoire was published on the 27th of May 2021.
The story was captivating. It made me feel as if I was there with these characters, experiencing their ups and downs, especially when Hollis had lost her husband and parents. Hollis stayed strong during the tough times which was something I admired about her. I was curious to know what would happen next to her and the book left me on a cliffhanger.
Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe brings you on a rollercoaster of emotions. Alire Sáenz writes in such a poetic way, every single page I read feels like a poem. When we get to read Ari’s letters to Dante, I feel so involved with the story and what is going on in Aristotle’s head. Learning about how difficult the lives were of the LGBTQ+ community in the 1980s was heartbreakingly sad.
