Fresh Blood

Name: Jennifer Lane

Title of Book: All Our Secrets

'...the most touching and brutal novel I have read this year…'

Synopsis:
A girl called Gracie. A small town called Coongahoola with the dark Bagooli River running through it.

The Bleeders — hundreds of ‘Believers’ who set up on the banks of the river, who start to buy up the town and win souls.

The River Children — born in the aftermath of the infamous River Picnic. They begin to go missing, one after another.

Gracie Barrett is the naively savvy spokesperson for her chaotic family (promiscuous dad, angry mum, twins Lucky and Grub, Elijah the River Child and fervent, prayerful Grandma Bett), for the kids who are taken, for the lurking fear that locks down the town and puts everyone under suspicion.

Gracie is funny and kind, bullied and anguished, and her life spirals out of control when she discovers she knows what no one else does: who is responsible for the missing children.

Review:
Narrated by twelve-year old Gracie, Lane’s novel immediately has an innocent, questioning feel to her prose perfectly mirroring a child who feels in that ‘in-between’ stage when no longer feeling as a child, but not quite an adult. There is much she doesn’t understand as the adults around her talk euphemistically, trying to keep the truth from the children, Gracie and Elijah (the twins being too young to understand), but the truth is something that cannot be kept secret for long.

Even though some of the children who go missing and then found dead are not true friends, it upsets Gracie’s world as her safe town is no longer such a thing. Lane perfectly hits the right notes in her debut, bringing a child’s innocence within touching distance of the dark and disturbing events.

I am not saying this is equal to Lee’s iconic novel, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’, but there are definite ripples here from an author who reveres Lee’s novel. Lane wonderfully brings her characters to life, especially with Grandma Bett who appears to be the spiritual compass of Gracie’s fractured family. Others who stand out are chain-smoking Mrs Irwin and Mrs Lothum with her bright orange hair. Even Gracie’s mother has her own part as she gets deeper with the cult, ‘The Bleeders’ in desperation to find direction with the breakdown of her marriage. This leads to Gracie feeling she is never going to be ‘one of the better girls’ and be even more of a pariah as her mum’s connection with the cult become common knowledge, which doesn’t help Gracie’s social paranoia and angst. Lane conveys this very well without melodrama.

‘All Our Secrets’ is a beautiful written and emotional novel, Lane perfectly describes a small town in turmoil and suspicion as the murders continue and the ending had me quite choked up! This is such an assured novel, it is quite amazing it is Lane’s first. This really is an emotional rollercoaster. I could say so much more, but would be in fear of giving anything away, so I will simply say that this is the most touching and brutal novel I have read this year… and now you must read it, too!

Reviewed by: C.S.

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