More of Me - Kathryn Evans
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| More of Me - Kathryn Evans |
This was the first debut I’ve discovered on this year’s
Carnegie nominations list and I was very impressed. Seems a silly thing to say
– being impressed by a debut – but, there, I was:
More of Me is a lovely solid novel
that weaves a gripping and fascinating concept into time loved high school
frolics and dramas.
The story concept is intriguing and it maintained my
interest the whole way through. Teva is sixteen. She’s just stolen her previous
self’s life both literally and not so literally. Horrifyingly and painfully,
every year, a new Teva tears her way physically out of the previous Teva. So
Teva lives with her mother and no siblings
- but lots of younger Teva’s. But nobody else knows. So, obviously,
things are going to be socially tricky and emotionally, mentally, physically
torturous for the Teva who is soon to be 17!
More of Me delivers a quietly funny sixth form school story
full of boyfriend troubles, friendship circles and worries about personal
statements and career choices as well as a sci-fi element exploring the essence
of Teva’s being (and maybe even stretching to touch upon self-harming). By
weaving the two strands together, the novel also convincingly manages to look
at the different stages of childhood and captures the changing emotional and
intellectual moods and swings of the teenage years very lovingly. Talk about an identity crisis!
For all the horror that the concept involves, the novel is
actually a light pageturner and probably easily suitable for readers of all
ages. I really enjoyed this one. And, there is no cliffhanger!
There are some great
book group questions that Kathryn Evans has posted on her website (there are spoilers though so read the book first!).
More of Me won the Edinburgh International Book Festival First Award 2016 and has been nominated for the 2017 Carnegie Medal.
Publication details: Usborne, 2016, London, paperback
This copy: review copy from the publisher
