My Box-Shaped Heart

By Author / Illustrator

Rachael Lucas

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Pan Macmillan

ISBN

9781509839575

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

17-05-2018

Synopsis

My Box-Shaped Heart is a powerful story of an unlikely friendship from Rachael Lucas, author of The State of Grace.

Holly's mum is a hoarder, and she is fed up with being picked on at school for being weird . . . and having the wrong clothes . . . and sticking out. All she wants is to be invisible. She loves swimming, because in the water everyone is the same.

Ed goes to the swimming pool because everything else in his life has changed. In his old life he had money; was on the swim team; knew who he was and what he wanted. In his old life his dad hit his mum.

Holly is swimming in one direction and Ed's swimming in the other. As their worlds collide they find a window into each other's lives - and learn how to meet in the middle.

Reviews

My Box Shaped Heart is a short but heart-warming story which focuses on the consequences for teenagers on the subjects of domestic abuse and depression. Holly's mom hoards almost anything, her home is packed full of boxes of items that her mom will not let go. As a result of this, Holly keeps herself to herself at school as she doesn't want anyone to find out about her mom. Then there is Ed, who has just moved into town. We find out as the story progresses that previous to this he came from a wealthy home where he had everything, but his mom is a victim of domestic abuse and they have been placed in a safe house. Ed avoids making friends as he scared his dad will find them. These two mixed-up teenagers meet at the local swimming pool where Holly works, which helps her escape her mom's depression and Ed goes to swim which helps him escape the trauma of an abusive parent. The romance that develops between them is slow and gentle with some of the awkwardness of a first time romance. On top of all of this, one of Holly's friends has gained the confidence to admit that she is gay. The storyline doesn't go into great depth about these issues, the reader gets just enough information to be able to empathise or perhaps for some readers to relate to the main characters. Cressida I found to be another important character as she represents stability for Holly. She also helps Holly's mom clear out the rubbish. Along with her help and with each bag that leaves the house, it seems that Holly's mum gets brighter and finally decides that it's time to seek medical help for her condition. At the back of the book there is a detailed section providing information on Mind and women's refuge etc, which I think is a thoughtful touch in a book that tackles issues like this. As always Rachel Lucas writes in a style that is easy to read and engages the reader. Making it suitable for 14+ confident and less confident readers. The book has 255 well written pages that contains lovely characters and has an intriguing storyline. Well worth a read. 255 pages / Ages 14+ / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian.