I always like to have a nice stack of things to read in the summer holidays. Recently I finished reading Catch Me When You Fall by Eileen Merriman. It's YA genre.
The book follows Alex Byrd who has just discovered that her leukaemia has returned, and Jamie Orange whom she meets in the waiting room. Jamie and Alex's paths begin to intersect and their burgeoning relationship is a bright light on the dark horizon of Alex's life.
How do you live life when you really might be running out of time and how will Jamie's own life and struggles cope with Alex's issues? How will her parents cope with the competition for Alex's heart and will Jamie really like her when she's sick and her hair is gone?
and... why was Jamie in the waiting room that day?
This very readable novel is set in Christchurch post earthquake which makes it instantly appealing to me. Merriman has created dynamic, believable characters who are faced with the harsh realities of medical issues largely outside their control. The joy and tenderness between Alex and Jamie is a real joy. There are some beautiful and horrific scenes where the full weight of the thinness of the space between life and death are explored.
A book to be emotionally involved with this summer.
Content triggers - teenage mortality, sex scenes, leukaemia, chemotherapy and bipolar.
I would be very happy to read other titles by this author.
Details - Penguin Random House, January 2018. RRP $19.99
Love you more than a compulsive knitting session xxx
