John Marsden So Much To Tell You

[Jodee Bouman]

SoMuch to Tell You is a young adult novel by Australian author John Marsden, first published in 1987. It was his debut book. It was instantly successful in Australia and the US and has since been translated into nine languages and awarded many highly acclaimed literary awards including the Christopher Medal and the Victorian Premier's Award. It was declared the Best Book of the Year by the Children's Book Council, and, accordingly, its author hopes that it will act as a source of inspiration to other teens who have had to overcome trauma and challenges in their lives which have had long-term ramifications.

The book is presented as a diary written by a 14-year-old girl, Marina. Marina was the victim of an incident that is initially unknown to the reader, but we are told she refused to talk to anyone during her long recovery period in hospital, and was sent to Warrington, a girls' boarding school, because nothing else appeared to be working. But even after her arrival, she maintains her silence. Then, one day, her English teacher Mr. Lindell encourages the class to keep journals. Even though Marina is determined not to make use of her diary, she cannot resist writing about some of the seemingly trivial events of her day.

However, the content of her entries becomes more and more revealing over time, and readers can better understand Marina's world: how her friends and teachers create profound and lasting impressions on her psyche. Marina goes from not interacting with others at all, opening up and socialising, and eventually finding non-verbal communication methods. It is revealed throughout the novel, first through subtle clues on her reactions to movies and comments from her classmates before an outright confession that Marina has a scarred face because she was the victim of an incident involving acid, inflicted by her father, who was aiming for her mother. However, as the book continues, Marina's negative feelings towards her father fade away, and by the end of the book, she devises a plan which enables her to see him again. When she speaks for the first time, she speaks her only words for the entire novel: "Hello, Dad... I've got so much to tell you..."

'Marina May Jamison': Marina is the book's main character and narrator. Initially, she is heavily introverted and avoids contact with her fellow students. Also, she has "anorexia of speech". She is known as a mute.

Cathy Gloria Preshill: The closest thing Marina has to a friend for most of the book. She invites Marina over for the holidays. She is tall and thin, and reads things like Illusions. She also enjoys writing poetry, '... writer of poems.'

Sophie Marie Smith: One of the most promiscuous girls in the dorm, Sophie is described as "boyish, pretty," "...bubbly and lively." Sophie is also hopeless at tennis. Marina once saw Sophie saying to herself "I hate you, you off moll, you bitch", although she runs away crying when she sees Marina standing there.

Ann Chloe Maltin: Described by Marina as very nice, pretty, and artistic. She had a clay eagle that Marina broke by accident. Marina also notes that Ann's doona cover was her favourite, a "jigsaw of stars."

Lisa Scarlett Morris: Lisa is tall with lovely blonde hair. She is very Nordic-looking. Lisa has a slight mark on one cheek from a skiing accident. She is strong and quiet but still popular and seems like nothing can hurt her. Marina sees her crying violently on her bed when no one else is around but doesn't find out why.

Robyn Jamison: Marina's mother comes across as unsympathetic and impatient for Marina to regain her ability to speak. She also comes across as fake and a selfish woman who only cares about herself. She sends Marina to boarding school supposedly to learn to speak again, but really her mother just wants her out of the way to make room for her new husband. Later in the book, she goes to New York with her new partner whom she refers to in her letters as JJ.

Tony Jamison: Marina's father is a significant character he is always on Marina's mind. Marina is unsure about how to feel about him whether it be anger, grief, or forgiveness. He was sent to prison after he spilled acid on his daughter Marina. The acid was intended for Robyn, his wife.

The book is partially based on a true story. Marina's character is based on a fourteen-year-old girl and a woman named Kay Nesbit, whose face was damaged by a shotgun blast. In addition, the dedication at the beginning of the book identifies a certain John Mazur as the English teacher, Mr Lindell, who gives Marina her diary assignment and is one of the people she places the most trust in.

A half-sequel with the title Take My Word for It was written in 1992, from the point of view of Lisa Morris. It tells Lisa's story over the same period, as well as her observation of Marina, but then expands on this and shows Marina after she visits with her father. The second point of view aids the reader by answering some questions from the first, for example, the cause of Marina's nervous breakdown in early April, and the reason for Lisa's crying earlier.

It was pretty instantly successful in Australia and the US and has since been translated into nine languages and awarded many highly acclaimed literary awards including the Christopher Medal and the Victorian Premier's Award. It was declared the Best Book of the Year by the Children's Book Council.

Life's about a hell of a lot more than being happy. It's about feeling the full range of stuff: happiness, sadness, anger, grief, love, hate. If you try to shut one of those off, you shut them all off. I don't want to be happy. I know I won't live happily ever after. I want more than that, something richer. I want to go right up close to the beauty and the ugliness. I want to see it all, know it all, understand it all. The richness and the powerty, the joy and the cruelty, the sweetness and the sadness. That's the best way I can honour my friends who died.

Writing is not a job or activity. Nor do I sit at a desk writing for inspiration to strike. Writing is like a different kind of existence. In my life, for some of the time, I am in an alternative world, which I enter through day-dreaming or imagination. That world seems as real to me as the more tangible one of relationships and work, cars and taxes. I don't know that they're much different from each other.

It all began when... they're funny, those words. Everyone uses them, without thinking what they mean. When does anything begin? With everyone it begins when you're born. Or before that, when your parents got married. Or before that, when your parents were born. Or when your ancestors colonised the place. Or when humans came squishing out of the mud and slime, dropped off their flippers and fins, and started to walk. But all the same, all that aside, for what's happened to us there was quite a definite beginning

So, that was Nature's way. The mosquito felt pain and panic but the dragonfly knew nothing of cruelty. Humans would call it evil, the big dragonfly destroying the mosquito and ignoring the little insects suffering. Yet humans hated mosquitoes too, calling them vicious and bloodthirsty. All these words, words like 'evil' and 'vicious', they meant nothing to Nature. Yes, evil was a human invention.

So I found myself telling my own stories. It was strange: as I did it I realised how much we get shaped by our stories. It's like the stories of our lives make us the people we are. If someone had no stories, they wouldn't be human, wouldn't exist. And if my stories had been different I wouldn't be the person I am.

A few people would suffer, but a lot of people would be better off.' 'It's just not right,' said Kevin stubbornly. 'Maybe not. But neither's your way of looking at it. There doesn't have to be a right side and a wrong side. both sides can be right, or both sides can be wrong.

The Rabbits, written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan, is a little hard to describe. It's not really a graphic novel but is more than just a picture book.

On the surface, the book is about the colonization and industrialization of Australia by Western peoples, but it is also the story of any land that was settled by Europeans in the last two hundred years.

On a different level, the book is about the effects of overpopulation and technology on the environment and the loss of natural resources.

Although The Rabbits is the winner of The Children's Book Council of Australia's Picture Book of the Year award, the sparsely told story addresses adult and universal issues.

The oversize format of the book is the perfect way to showcase Tan's amazing art. The rabbits are not cute bunnies but triangular-shaped creatures that walk on two legs and wear the uniforms of Western cultures. The contrast between the original landscapes and native inhabitants with the introduced species and urban sprawl is unmistakable and unforgettable.

Here is a spread from near the beginning of the book:

And here is one showing the effects of unregulated exploitation of the land:

I recommend this book for parents who like to discuss political and environmental issues with their children and to anyone who loves beautiful art. The paintings are incredible, and I will turn to this book many times to study the details.

John Marsden and Shaun Tan both have websites where you can learn more about their work.

The Rabbits at an IndieThe Rabbits at Powell's

The Rabbits at Amazon

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Published by Lothian, 1998

ISBN-13: 9780968876886

Challenges: 100+, 999, Clear Off Your Shelves

YTD: 83

Source: Bought (see review policy)

Rating: B+

I recently introduced Shaun Tan's work to my son. He gets lost in the vivid artwork. I cover up the words and ask that he create a story based on what he sees. I need to get him to write down some of what he's come up with. It's pretty amazing!

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