I don’t get the chance to read a lot of Australian writers (not sure why that is…) so when I realized the book A Small Madness, which had been sitting on my shelf for almost a year, was written by an Aussie it spurred me to pick it up. It’s also sort of based on a true crime, which was another aspect that piqued my interest, because apparently I’m a ghoulish person.
Anyway, it tells the story of Rose and Michael, a teenage couple who have fallen in love, had sex a few times and gotten pregnant. Nothing too exciting there, sad yes, and a bit terrifying as a parent to read, but it’s their reaction that makes this story a true STORY. Irritatingly, Michael is annoyed at Rose when he first hears her news (um, hello, she didn’t get this way by herself!) and then he becomes terrified. AS HE SHOULD BE. Rose, on the other hand, becomes withdrawn and a shell of herself, denying to others that anything is wrong while she takes up smoking and popping advils in an attempt to rid herself of the ‘virus’ that is taking over her body. This is a bit of a spoiler alert, but eventually she has the baby, and they ‘dispose’ of it together.
The author, Dianne Touchell.
Obviously this story is bound to bring up so many emotions in its readers, I personally felt a mix of empathy and horror as I made my way through this slim book. Still, I’m so glad I read it because it was beautifully written and kept me riveted from page one through to the very end. In terms of genre, it’s classified as YA, and although it could be seen as controversial by say, a catholic school board, it should be on every single high school/upper middle school curriculum. It’s books like this that remind us how important it is for kids to have access to medical resources like family planning clinics. Furthermore, the tragedy could have been avoided in this book if either Rose or Michael’s parents had any sort of clue as to what their kids were doing, and how they could help. No, it’s not their fault Rose got pregnant, but it’s their fault that their own children couldn’t tell them what was happening. Both parents were depicted as emotionally unavailable, but ‘good’ parents on the exterior, which was an important point that the author Dianne Touchell was making-especially because she juxtaposed this with Rose’s friend Liv, whose Mom was open and understanding, the only parent who was brought into the mess when it was too late.
Sigh, I’m going to try not to rant anymore, and just focus on the book because I don’t want this to turn into a political discussion more than it already has. A Small Madness is a wonderful piece of literature; beautifully written, accessible for pre-teens and teens, and shockingly well-paced for such a short read. I highly recommend this for parents especially because it reminds us why non-judgmental communication is so important.
So sad that teens still get into these situations when contraception should be readily available if they want/need it, and sadder still that it’s still so stigmatised that sometimes they take desperate action to deal with it. There! That’s as much ranting as I’ll do too… but it does sound like a powerful read for both teens and parents of teens.
So jealous that your cat poses so beautifully for pics, BTW… 😀
It’s all about the cat treats! And I take millions of photos, it’s a giant pain in the ass really lol
I’m the result of a teen pregnancy so I’d be very interested to read this at some point. It sounds like a controversial theme that has been well executed by a talented writer 🙂 Awesome review!
Thanks for hitting up my blog! And yes, I’m sure you would find this book extremely interesting 🙂
That sounds sad. Your comment about the parents makes me think about the kind of mom I hope to be as my son gets older – I hope to be the open, approachable kind of mom! I truly mean to be, anyway! I know my parents didn’t talk about sex (much) but my saving grace was being a nerd who no one wanted to date in high school anyway, ha ha!
Yah, I think we all need to remind ourselves of this book everytime we think it’s easier to just say nothing, or pretend everything is ok. Mind you, being readers, I’m sure we won’t have this problem, becuase we’re open-minded people to begin with 🙂
The thing that blows my mind is that what happens to teens AFTER they become pregnant is always so much more horrifying that stopping a pregnancy before it happens. Some parents act like condoms are “bad,” but the minute you read about abortion, infanticide, adoption, teen parent fights, money issues/poverty, lack of higher education, etc…..everything becomes a million times more horrifying for all parties involved. Survivable, but terrifying with long-term impacts.
p.s. My cat always LAYS on my books. I’m like, “Kitty, you readin’ while I’m sleepin’? Just don’t read up on how to kill me in my bed! You hear me? Good kitty. Here’s a treat. Don’t kill me.”
Haha yes have you read the book “signs your cat is trying to kill you”? It comes with a fold out poster that I’ve put up lol
Also, I couldn’t agree more with your comments re:teen pregnancy. After having a child myself I’ve never been more in support of abortion clinics because it can literally save people’s lives!!!
I absolutely agree. More books like this, more movies and shows like this! Pro-life or not, there is a very EASY way to avoid pregnancy and it’s actually FREE (for the most part) so why are these kids not being educated and taken to clinics and doctors to make sure they have a healthy, safe sexual life? If I were a parent, I would want my kid to trust me with these things and not seek advice elsewhere or worse, nowhere, ending up confused and misguided and making very avoidable mistakes.
It’s a known fact that kids WILL have sex, no matter what you teach them or how much you try to control them. It’s human nature (in most cases), so might as well provide them with the tools and knowledge to be safe from pregnancy and STDs. Abstinence was never the solution.
Great review and great post, overall!
hear hear! Couldn’t have said it better myself 🙂