A riveting read.
WHAT’S THE BOOK ABOUT
Meet Jackson – a very unusual boy in a world that prefers ‘normal’…
Julia Curtis is a busy mother of three, with a husband often away for work, an ever-present mother-in-law, a career, and a house that needs doing up. Her fourteen-year-old daughter, Milla, has fallen in love for the first time, and her youngest, Ruby, is a nine-year-old fashionista who can out-negotiate anyone.
But Julia’s eleven-year-old son, Jackson, is different. Different to his sisters. Different to his classmates. In fact, Jackson is different from everyone. And bringing up a child who is different isn’t always easy.
Then, one Monday morning, Jackson follows his new friend Digby into the school toilets. What happens inside changes everything; not only for Jackson, but for every member of his family. Julia faces the fight of her life to save her unusual boy from a world set up for ‘normal’.
An extraordinary boy. The mother who loves him. The fight of their lives.
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
I am fumbling for words to describe how good this book is. I had not expected An Unusual Boy to be such a riveting read.
It is a novel about a special child in a world that prefers ‘normal’.
Jackson is a special child, wise beyond his years and extremely intelligent but unable to articulate his thoughts sometimes. The book lucidly conveys his unique perspectives on the world and sensitively portrays the challenges encountered by children like him and their families.
Higgins has created a masterpiece in the form of the Curtis family. She brilliantly portrays the dynamics of every relationship in the family resulting in a character-driven story. Julia’s unflinching support for her son, Jackson, Milla’s support for her brother and mother, Andy’s (Julia’s husband) reluctance to deal with the difficult situations arising due to Jackson’s special needs, and the frosty relationship between Julia and her mother-in-law—every minute detail kept me glued to the book.
In the first half of the book, Higgins sets up the scene for the disaster to occur on a particular Monday morning. It is the events that unfold after that Monday morning that elevate the book to a higher level.
Higgins maintains the tension throughout the novel. With Jackson being a character of interest in the said events, I had no choice but to be patient and wait for him to reveal what happened in his own time. Meanwhile, I (along with Julia) had my stomach in knots and was praying fervently for Jackson to have the courage to speak out. This is a testament of Higgins’ writing prowess – she had me invested in the characters to such an extent.
An Unusual Boy by Fiona Higgins is a gripping, well-written, smoothly flowing tale of mystery. It is taut with suspense yet so heart-warming and inspirational.
The book arrested my attention from the first page and did not leave me until the last. Consequently, I read it in two days straight. It is also insightful and thought-provoking. It implores us to think differently about the ‘different’ people.
Highly recommended for lovers of mystery everyone.
BOOK DETAILS
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction || Published on October 20th 2020 by Boldwood Books
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Many thanks to Rachel @ Rachel’s Random Resources for organizing this blog tour. Many thanks to the publisher for my copy of the book. This does not affect my opinion on the book. I opted to provide an honest review on my blog.
AUTHOR BIO
Fiona Higgins is the Australian writer of several bestselling contemporary novels including The Mothers’ Group and Wife on the Run. Her work has been widely reviewed, translated internationally, and described as ‘page-turning domestic melodrama for the social media age’. She lives with her family in Sydney and her first book for Boldwood will be published in October 2020.
Author Links: Website || Twitter
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Beautiful review Debjani. I thought about this book but was worried and I have a grandson who is not neurotypical and was worried. I think I want to give it a go after reading this review.
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It is a beautifully written book, Carla. Higgins has sensitively shown Jackson’s POV. Thanks for reading! 🙂
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Wonderful review! I definitely love the sound of this story. xx
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Thanks, Yvonne. 🙂
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Love those book that you just can’t put down. Lovely enticing review, Debjani!
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Thank you, Marialyce. 🙂 The book was so lovely, I couldn’t help but gush about it.
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Great review, Debjani! I really like the way you describe how the book kept your attention all way through. Jackson must be a fascinating character!
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Oh, yes, Toni, Jackson was a lovely character. He touched my heart. Thanks for reading 🙂
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Wow, this sounds powerful! I’m so curious to read it now, thanks for sharing your review😁
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I was surprised too, Tammy, on reading this book. I hadn’t expected it to be so good. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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Excellent review, Debjani💜 I like that you found it difficult to put down and it held the tension throughout.
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Thank you for your kind words, Jonetta. 🙂 It was indeed suspenseful.
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Thanks so much Debjani for this marvellous review, I am thrilled that you were riveted! Best wishes, Fiona Higgins
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Thank you, Fiona. 🙂 It was a pleasure to read your book.
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This sounds really interesting character driven mystery. Great review!
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Thank you, Yesha. 🙂 It was indeed a good mystery.
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