Solitaire
2014
- children's fiction
- love, fiction
- schools, fiction
- depression in adolescence
- fiction
- friendship in adolescence
- practical jokes
- mentally ill
- family relationships
- brothers and sisters
The story
'I don't ever remember not being serious. As far as I'm concerned, I came out of the womb spouting cynicism and wishing for rain.' My name is Tori Spring. I like the sleep and I like to blog. Last year I had friends. Things were very different, I guess, but that's all over now. Now there's Solitaire. And Michael Holden. I don't know what Solitaire are trying to do. And I don't care about Michael Holden. I really don't.
What it’s like
Written as a first-person diary-like voice, sharp and self-deprecating, with short clipped sentences, lists, blog-post asides and anonymous notes that give the page a scrappy, collage feel: think pale-blue school notebooks, sticky-note scribbles and the glow of a laptop screen after midnight. The mood is wry and wounded, a kind of cynical sulk that keeps cracking open into tenderness. It suits a reluctant rainy-afternoon read, a late-night sit-up with a mug of tea, or a bored commute where you want something quick to dip into. The rhythm is brisk and conversational, with plenty of white space and short chapters that keep moving. Emotionally it is bittersweet and funny, following a teenage girl who has pulled back from her friends and slowly lets a secret prankster and an unexpected crush draw her out of her shell. Content is largely low-stakes school life, with some honest, non-graphic treatment of depression and family strain, a few pranks, and no violence or sexual content. It is for readers who enjoy the grumpy-then-softening arc of a teen, and for anyone who wants a gentle, heartfelt story about friendship and self-doubt.
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