Finding Audrey
By: Sophie Kinsella
Rating: 5 of 5
I have read quite a few of Sophie Kinsella’s adult novels, so I was happy to see that she has written her first YA book. “Finding Audrey” deals with serious issues in a humorous way – this is something that I have come to expect from Ms. Kinsella’s works.
Having raised three teenagers, I could absolutely relate to each of the children in the Turner family. I might even be able to relate more closely to their Mum (as I recall a few discussions with my son about spending too much time playing computer games.) While I never thought about throwing a computer out the window (probably because our neighbors were too close), I do remember disconnecting them and hiding integral pieces more than once.
Unfortunately, I can especially relate to having a daughter who was bullied. Both of my daughters were quite tall (over six feet) and for some reason, that made them a target. I can only be thankful that they were raised just before the social media bully monster hit the scene.
In “Finding Audrey”, the theme of bullying is hinted at broadly but the actual acts are not described (thank goodness.) What we see is the aftereffects on Audrey. She has fairly severe issues with dealing with and trusting people outside of her family. The book shows how she is able to cope with life as it is now and how she learns to take steps forward to a more trusting life.
The crazy, funny part of the book is Mum (aka Anne) Turner’s interactions with her elder son, Frank. Frank has decided that being a “gamer” is a life plan, goal, and profession. Anne is a blast – she is heavily influenced by what she reads in “The Daily Mail” – which, like most dailies, has a lot of fad science in it. Her family get to bear the brunt of her almost daily changes in their routine based on what she has read.
Felix is the sweetheart of a boy, who at age four, is still mostly an angel (except when is definitely not.) He provides a good portion of the giggles and laughs in this book, too. Even Dad (aka Chris) is a hoot. All I can say is Alfa Romeo and garage rock bands.
While the subject matter in the book is extremely serious, I think that this is a good book for young adults to read. As an adult, I also enjoyed it. It is a book that I will recommend to my friends as a good, fairly quick read that will make you both think and laugh.
I received a complimentary copy of this book via the publisher.
I have read quite a few of Sophie Kinsella’s adult novels, so I was happy to see that she has written her first YA book. “Finding Audrey” deals with serious issues in a humorous way – this is something that I have come to expect from Ms. Kinsella’s works.