Synopsis Sometimes Mara feels as if there is a fireball in her head and a roaring behind her eyes. She has rages when she feels that she has to destroy something - and she lashes out at the people around her be they friend or stranger. Her family life is a mess, and it’s the only way she knows to relate and understand others. There is no one she feels that she can trust or who cares for her until she meets Tibor. But when that seems to fall apart she reacts in the only way she knows with devastating consequences.

Review: When a book opens with the details of stomach cramps, dreams of blood and tampons you know that gritty details are going to be a feature of the storytelling. And that is just the start of it. Set after the fall of the Iron Curtain in Germany, Mara lives in a bleak world of tower blocks and screaming neighbours with a mother who is depressed and a father who is violent and drunk. His response to losing his job is to come home drunk and vomit over the pots and pans in the sink. On top of that the landlord is sexually harassing her. Neither parent is able to care for or protect their daughter, and Mara’s only happy memory is from when she is 10 years old. Her rages are furious and violent. The reader is allowed to see Mara’s background and confused thinking that influence her behaviour, and you can be drawn in to feel sympathy for her. When she starts the relationship with Tibor you feel relieved at the tenderness and sweetness of the experience for her- something normal at last. But Mara is very aware of the stark contrast between their family lives and can only draw on her own experiences to make sense of her world . She reacts violently when she thinks that Tibor has abandoned her. Throughout it is the voice of the teacher (her only adult support) that offers a safe adult anchor, and she very clearly states that no matter what Mara has done, Mara is responsible for her own actions “as a citizen, as a member of society.”

The gritty detail of the writing and the issues it addresses would lend itself to use for PHSE and sessions on emotional literacy. There would need to be opportunities for readers to discuss their responses to the issues in the book- which include domestic violence, sexual harassment, gang culture as well as management of angry feelings, the lack of parental support and the impact that has on the development of a young person.

This is a very raw and honest book, reflecting the reality that many children live in that is not always understood by the professionals around them. The conclusion is dark, but carries with it a glimmer of hope.

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2008-05-01