Holier Than Thou by Laura Buzo

Holier Than Thou by Laura Buzo
Published: May 1, 2012 by Allen & Unwin
Received: On loan from Magan - thank you!

Holly Yarkov has a boyfriend who is a gift from the universe. She has a job that fulfills her even as it wears her down. She has a core group of friends from high school. And she has a layer of steel around her heart that is beginning to tarnish. Just as she is reaching for a future she can't quite see, Holly is borne back into the past by memories of her beloved father, and of the boy-who-might-have-been...

Grief and longing run like veins of quicksilver through this beautiful novel, at once gloriously funny and achingly sad.

Laura's confident, astute and witty voice has already been recognized with the success of Good Oil, with North American English rights sold to Knopf and German language rights sold to Arena. It was also shortlisted for the Prime Minister's

Literary Awards. Her second novel is extraordinary and bittersweet – and shows us exactly what it is like to be a young person today – navigating the complexities of work, love, family and how to pay the rent. [goodreads]

It's no surprise that yet another Aussie book has completely won me over. I first discovered Buzo's writing in Love and Other Perishable Items -- a story that so brilliantly swept me away. So I was very anxious to read her next novel, thanks to Magan from Rather Be Reading for loaning me her copy. This particular piece embodies the essence of what a slow, well paced novel does for my literary soul. It's the quiet stories that really grab me, especially when I least expect them to, and refuse to let go. This one took its time, allowing me to truly understand and appreciate its greatness.

The chapters are told through Holly's eyes, switching back and forth from present day to her memories growing up. It took a bit of concentration to fully grasp what was occurring in the present, as opposed to a memory that only occurred a year before; but once I got the flow down I couldn't stop reading. We see Holly as a teenager, living at home with her mom who is nursing her father's final days. Those moments really set the tone for what kind of person Holly would become later in life. Watching a loved one, especially your parent, slip away is something that changes you. There is a before and an after. Our afters may not fully hit us until much later in life, but regardless they are there and shape us down a path we may not always know we've taken.

Through Holly's years as a teen, then into college, and even as a young adult in the working world, she is surrounded by a close group of friends. I loved the challenges that Buzo presented at how hard it can be to stay friends with the same group of people as you all grow and evolve into adults. It can be really tough sometimes. But it can also be rewarding to be surrounded by people who know exactly who you are and what you need out of life. On the outskirts of Holly's relationships with her friends is also the romantic relationships she develops with the boys. While one particular boy from her past remains the "what if" of her present, another swoops in and steals her heart when she least expects it, and then there's the boy who challenges everything she thought she ever stood for and wanted when it came to being happy.

I loved the dynamics of this story, how it all centered around Holly and her "holier-than-thou" persona that everyone knew her as, yet deep down she was just a girl trying to survive and find her way through life. My favorite moment of the story is when grief is described as a turning point. Some people may experience it in a healthy manner, hitting all the right stages until they've reached their stability of happiness. While others may believe they've encountered their stages of grief and came out the other side, strong and shiny as ever, but truly their emotions were just dormant burning to crack through the surface when the time was right.

This beautifully soft spoken story reached out to me and delivered a message I hadn't known I'd been searching for. The power of literature can be such a rewarding experience, especially when you least expect it. I wish so much this book was published in the US because it's a story that so many need to be reading. If you're willing to spend an extra few dollars, then I recommend purchasing a copy from fishpond. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be wanting to experience life with Holly among all her ups and downs.

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
Published: December 11, 2012 by Knopf Books
(originally published in Australia, August 2010)
Received: e-galley for review from the publisher

'Miss Amelia Hayes, welcome to The Land of Dreams. I am the staff trainer. I will call you grasshopper and you will call me sensei and I will give you the good oil. Right? And just so you know, I'm open to all kinds of bribery.'

From the moment 15-year-old Amelia begins work on the checkout at Woolworths she is sunk, gone, lost...head-over-heels in love with Chris. Chris is the funny, charming, man-about-Woolies, but he's 21, and the 6-year difference in their ages may as well be 100. Chris and Amelia talk about everything from Second Wave Feminism to Great Expectations and Alien but will he ever look at her in the way she wants him to? And if he does, will it be everything she hopes? [goodreads]

I adore contemps that give a realistic reflection of how tough being a teenager can be.  We've all been there and know how heartbreaking reality can be at that age.  Laura Buzo does not hold back in telling Amelia's story in Love and Other Perishable Items.  The fact that she's an Aussie writer just adds to the brilliance of this novel and reminded me why I love their contemporary pieces so much.

Amelia has taken it upon herself to get a job at the local grocery store.  It gives her an excuse to get out of her parent's house for a few hours and make some extra cash at the same time.  What she doesn't expect to find in this grocery store is Chris; the boy who demands her attention and captures her heart, but not even having a clue that he's done just that.  It's a story which we can all relate to.  Who hasn't had a crush on an older boy or girl?  We get so caught up in the idea of wanting something we can't have, that we tend to overlook the obvious signs as to why we shouldn't have them.  Though there was a large age difference between Amelia and Chris (6 years), their friendship still felt believable.  Amelia is a seasoned soul, well above her maturity level.  It's one of the reasons why Chris felt so drawn to her.

As the story unfolds, so does Amelia's crush for Chris.  Even with the age gap, I still felt myself rooting for the two of them.  I fell in love with the idea of these two characters being together.  Before I knew it, I was obsessed with the story, just as Amelia had become obsessed with Chris.  So when things finally came to a sudden halt, my heart felt like it was crushing into tiny pieces.  Laura Buzo knows how to build up emotion, make you feel as though you're right there in the moment with the character.  From the highest highs, to the lowest lows, this story became very real to me.

Usually I am satisfied with stand alone endings.  I feel as though the story is complete.  However this one left me wanting SO MUCH MORE.  I literally found myself thinking about the characters long after I'd finished reading.  This is a true testament to Laura Buzo's writing.  She's managed to pull me in and captivate my mind with fictional characters that I don't want to forget about.  I love that.

My Summer Reading in Review

I have had a very successful summer when it comes to reading!  I started out wanting to read a few books, but didn't give myself an exact schedule to read by.  I think this worked to my advantage.. and it also encouraged the laid back, relaxing atmosphere which always entices a good book.

I had the pleasure of traveling quite a bit as summer began... jet setting from Texas all the way to Seattle, jumping in the car and road tripping it to the river, or spending a week at the beach with my family.  All of these vacations were fun, relaxing, and memorable.  And OF COURSE there were great books involved for each one!  Below are a few of the books which stood out as my "favorites" read this summer.  There's still a few weeks left of the season, so hopefully it will encourage you to grab a few and finish out your summer with a great book.

How to Kill a Rock Star by Tiffanie DeBartolo
Written in her wonderfully honest, edgy, passionate and often hilarious voice, Tiffanie DeBartolo tells the story of Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, and Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. Eliza's reverence for rock is equaled only by Paul's, and the two fall wildly in love.

When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza must make a heartbreaking decision that leads to Paul's sudden disappearance and a surprise knock-your-socks-off ending. [goodreads]

Unbreak My Heart by Melissa C. Walker
Sophomore year broke Clementine Williams’ heart. She fell for her best friend’s boyfriend and long story short: he’s excused, but Clem is vilified and she heads into summer with zero social life.

Enter her parents’ plan to spend the summer on their sailboat. Normally the idea of being stuck on a tiny boat with her parents and little sister would make Clem break out in hives, but floating away sounds pretty good right now.

Then she meets James at one of their first stops along the river. He and his dad are sailing for the summer and he’s just the distraction Clem needs. Can he break down Clem’s walls and heal her broken heart? [goodreads]

Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar
Imagine there is someone you like so much that just thinking about them leaves you desperate and reckless. You crave them in a way that's not rational, not right, and you're becoming somebody you don't recognise, and certainly don't respect, but you don't even care.

And this person you like is unattainable. Except for one thing...

He lives downstairs.

Abbie has three obsessions. Art. The ocean. And Kane.

But since Kane's been back, he's changed. There's a darkness shadowing him that only Abbie can see. And it wants her in its world.

A gothic story about the very dark things that feed the creative process. [goodreads]

Love and Other Perishable Items by Laura Buzo
Love is awkward, Amelia should know.

From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, is 15.

Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris—at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?

Through a year of befuddling firsts—first love, first job, first party, and first hangover—debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up. [goodreads]

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
As children, Jennifer Harris and Cameron Quick were both social outcasts. They were also one another's only friend. So when Cameron disappears without warning, Jennifer thinks she's lost the only person who will ever understand her. Now in high school, Jennifer has been transformed. Known as Jenna, she's popular, happy, and dating, everything "Jennifer" couldn't be---but she still can't shake the memory of her long-lost friend.

When Cameron suddenly reappears, they are both confronted with memories of their shared past and the drastically different paths their lives have taken. [goodreads]

I ended up re-reading three books this summer, as well. The stories were so good I just wasn't quite ready to say goodbye!

My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
"One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase's family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over. [goodreads] 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Such a Rush by Jennifer Echols
A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly. [goodreads]

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Easy by Tammara Webber
When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email.

Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. At a downtown club, he disappears after several dances that leave her on fire. When he asks if he can sketch her, alone in her room, she agrees—hoping for more.

Then Jacqueline discovers a withheld connection between her supportive tutor and her seductive classmate, her ex comes back into the picture, and her stalker escalates his attention by spreading rumors that they’ve hooked up. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy. [goodreads]

So tell me, which books have you read and enjoyed this summer? Did you travel anywhere and take a book along for the trip? I love summertime, but I am definitely looking forward to some reprieve from the heat... and all things pumpkin! Bring on Fall!