Reviews: (by author)

Wilson, Jacqueline. Lola Rose. Illus. Nick Sharratt. London: Doubleday, 2003.   £10.99/$24.95. Hardback ISBN 0-385-60184-0, 288 pp.

Visit www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk

Life was not always a piece of cake for Jayni and her little brother Kenny.   At what could be considered the most impressionable time of her life, Jayni is faced with an alcoholic and abusive father, a weak and dysfunctional mother, and an extremely needy younger brother.   Just when things started looking up after Jayni's mother Nikki wins a large sum of money, Jayni's father raises a hand to her during a fight and the family makes a desperate run for London.   Living under false names, Lola Rose Luck, her mother Victoria, and her brother Kendall try to forget a horrid past and make a fresh start.   But when the money starts to run out and Victoria's new boyfriend splits, it's back to hard times, and this time Jayni isn't the only one who lacks maturity and stability.   A mean, hopeless, and heartbroken Victoria Luck is hospitalized and a brave Lola Rose is forced to fend for herself and Kendall, a hard and stressful task for such a young girl.   Their luck finally cashes in when Auntie Barbara comes to the rescue.   This story provides just the right balance of reality and imagination, terror and delight - the young adult's She's Come Undone .

Real life is no fairy tale, but it sure would be boring without the infusion of an elaborate imagination.   Jayni's scrapbook is just one of the many symbolic images, and, in a sense, is the outlet for her pain and emotional suffering.   It contains the secret obsessions of a girl in great need of a mother-figure in her life; a girl trying to fill the empty spaces inside with an abundance of food rather than love.   The reversal of roles between the daughter and mother is apparent when Jayni, the child, turns into the more "sensible" one, the one who seemingly knows more about "right and wrong."   Jayni, or more appropriately, Lola Rose, becomes the "Mum" of her brother Kendall, who, like his sister, is obviously lacking the adult guidance he needs.   Despite the reoccurring nightmare of the shark, or "predator" father-figure, Lola Rose proves herself worthy of such a mature role by overcoming one of life's most unforgiving fears, the thought of losing her mother.   Essentially, the story is one of a family growing up together all at the same time: as close to actual life without going overboard, containing all the necessary elements of tragedy while maintaining the "Happily Ever After" ending that we can all appreciate.

Recommended
Rebekah Tobias, May 2004

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