Courtney Summers’ well-written murder mystery is a modern take on the genre. Following the sister of a missing girl and the journalist trying to find her, Sadie’s format is unique, if a little confusing at times. The chapters written from Sadie’s perspective are in first person, but every second chapter is written as a script for a podcast. While this choice shows the narrative in the broader context of all the young girls that go missing in the world, in this novel the podcast chapters detract from the main narrative. With the title Sadie, the reader expects the book to focus on the girl, not on the reluctant reporter assigned to her case. The change in format can be jarring, and it makes the reader wonder if whether the narrative would have worked better asan actual podcast.
However, the two perspectives create a sense of urgency and further mystery as the reader waits for them to finally intersect or at least catch up with each other. The journalist is always one step behind Sadie, but he also knows things that she doesn’t, which quickens the pace of the plot as it develops. Summers carefully chooses what information each character knows, complete with lies and misunderstandings, so that the puzzle comes together slowly and reveals more mysteries as it goes.
Sadie is a unique protagonist in that she has a stutter, a trait that is usually used to show a timid or weak character. Sadie is far from this, and her stutter is portrayed with accuracy and depth, detailing how it impacts her everyday life. While Sadie’s physical voice is an obstacle for her, her internal voice as a narrator is powerful and strong. What makes Sadie such a compelling narrative is the use of two uniquely unreliable narrators.
Sadie knows the most about her sister, the girl who went missing, but she is young and was kept in the dark about a lot of things. On top of this, she is biased in who she believes is responsible and is single-minded in seeking revenge. The journalist, despite his investigative skills, is limited by what his interviewees are willing to tell him. These two conflicting storylines make for a thrilling and exciting mystery.
Eleni Hale’s Stone Girl is an incredibly powerful and honest story about the Australian foster care system. Drawing on elements of Hale’s own childhood, the novel is a confronting look into the troubling conditions faced by the children most in need of care. When twelve-year-old Sophie is moved to a foster home after the death …
Stalking Jack the Ripper is a gripping, fast-paced novel written by first-time author Kerri Maniscalco. The novel follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, a young woman apprenticing with her Uncle in a mortuary deep within the alleyways and public houses in 1800s London. Wadsworth is soon caught up in a dangerous set of mass murderers as a …
Angel Mage–written by Australian high fantasy laureate Garth Nix–introduces readers to the city of Ystara, a land in which angels, demons, musketeers and magicians all live among one another. Throughout the land, skilled individuals enchant and produce icons, which have the power to summon specific angels to aid with daily tasks and civil battles with …
In the final novel from the Magisterium series by Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, Callum Hunt is faced with the task of destroying Alex Strike and the chaos that followed in the wake of the events of the penultimate novel The Silver Mask. Callum Hunt is now entering his Gold Year, the final year of …
Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein is a fast-paced psychological thriller with a distinct Australian flavour. One for those with a morbid curiosity, this novel is rife with dark themes and mind games, leaving you itching to uncover all of its secrets. Tash Carmody is confronted with her past when the ghosts of her childhood reappear …
Released to the public on September 3rd of 2018, Violet Grace’s novel The Girl Who Fell tells the tale of Francesca ‘Chess’ Raven, an adolescent girl living with a woman named Gladys after the death of her parents. Chess Raven is a hacker, and becomes swept away in a grand and interesting adventure after the …
Book Review – Sadie by Courtney Summers
However, the two perspectives create a sense of urgency and further mystery as the reader waits for them to finally intersect or at least catch up with each other. The journalist is always one step behind Sadie, but he also knows things that she doesn’t, which quickens the pace of the plot as it develops. Summers carefully chooses what information each character knows, complete with lies and misunderstandings, so that the puzzle comes together slowly and reveals more mysteries as it goes.
Sadie is a unique protagonist in that she has a stutter, a trait that is usually used to show a timid or weak character. Sadie is far from this, and her stutter is portrayed with accuracy and depth, detailing how it impacts her everyday life. While Sadie’s physical voice is an obstacle for her, her internal voice as a narrator is powerful and strong. What makes Sadie such a compelling narrative is the use of two uniquely unreliable narrators.
Sadie knows the most about her sister, the girl who went missing, but she is young and was kept in the dark about a lot of things. On top of this, she is biased in who she believes is responsible and is single-minded in seeking revenge. The journalist, despite his investigative skills, is limited by what his interviewees are willing to tell him. These two conflicting storylines make for a thrilling and exciting mystery.
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Book Review – Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerry Maniscalco
Stalking Jack the Ripper is a gripping, fast-paced novel written by first-time author Kerri Maniscalco. The novel follows Audrey Rose Wadsworth, a young woman apprenticing with her Uncle in a mortuary deep within the alleyways and public houses in 1800s London. Wadsworth is soon caught up in a dangerous set of mass murderers as a …
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Released to the public on September 3rd of 2018, Violet Grace’s novel The Girl Who Fell tells the tale of Francesca ‘Chess’ Raven, an adolescent girl living with a woman named Gladys after the death of her parents. Chess Raven is a hacker, and becomes swept away in a grand and interesting adventure after the …