A monthly update from our Teen Advisory Board
This month we were fortunate enough to have a visit from delightful author Eliza Henry Jones. Eliza, who has published two adult novels with Harper Collins, and has just released her first young adult novel, P is for Pearl, set in an imaginary small town in Tasmania.
The novel begins when a customer breaks a window at the café where the main character, Gwendolyn, works. This event triggers violent emotions about the death of her mother and brother many years before. Gwen’s father has remarried and she now lives in a blended family with her stepbrother and younger half-sister, but Gwen is still haunted by her loss.
This beautiful novel handles themes of grief, complicated family relationships and friendship, as well as first romance, in a compelling and sometimes humorous way.
The teens were fascinated to learn that Eliza had actually written the novel when she was a young adult herself, only 16, and going through her own family challenges. Eliza loved writing but believed that she couldn’t make a living as a writer. Instead, she studied sociology at university and found a job in social work, helping children and families in difficult circumstances.
Eliza kept writing novels on the side and at age 22 sold her first published adult novel, In the Quiet, in a three-book deal to Harper Collins. She now proudly earns a living as a full-time writer and fans of her three published works can look forward to two new novels in the foreseeable future, including a second young adult novel.
The teens really loved P is for Pearl and you can read their responses below.
Teen reviews of P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry Jones
‘Though it deals with difficult topics of grief and mental health, P is for Pearl has a certain warmth about it that cradles the reader right into the heart of the story. Eliza Henry Jones has mastered the beautiful Tasmanian coastal setting and created fascinating characters I want more of!’
– Kirrily Ireland
‘Eliza Henry Jones delivers a compelling, emotional story with excellent characters and pacing that drives the story forward – while still allowing the time for intimate moments that endears the characters to you even more. These are the kind of characters that you really feel a connection to.
The mysteries in P is for Pearl are cleverly concealed and revealed. When big bombshells of knowledge arrive in the story, Gwen’s reaction gives them a powerful weight. While many things are resolved by the book’s end, some threads are left untied. Not everything is spelled out to us and not every relationship is perfect. In this sense, the novel has a refreshing ending.
P is for Pearl has it all. I’m glad to have read it, as it shows grief, trauma and mental illness in a way that is unfamiliar and striking. It’s especially relatable for teenagers who are facing the looming presence of leaving high school – this stress is one of the many challenges facing Gwendolyn in the story. P is for Pearl is a phenomenal story and one that everyone would enjoy reading. As far as comparisons go, comparing the novel to a pearl isn’t a bad one.’
– Joe Murray
‘This is a beautiful story about family, loss and acceptance, set in a small Australian town. Eliza Henry Jones writes beautifully about how Gwen’s emotions fluctuate and how she deals with the pain of losing her mother and brother at a young age.
Henry Jones has crafted complex, relatable and flawed characters that you learn about through Gwen’s perspective, and are sometimes unsure about how you should react to them. Her family, especially, are loving but flawed, and you follow Gwen through her wavering emotions about them as she digs up the past of her town and family. Her friends, Gordon and Loretta, create an amusing dynamic with Gwen and provide a comedic commentary on Australian school life that teenagers can really resonate with. The book is very humorous, which makes the serious moments even more heartwrenching in comparison.
The setting and characters are brilliant and zany, yet very realistic. The kind but strange store owner Mae, gruff police officer Martin, and mysterious woman who lives in the previously abandoned estate feel like people who could live in your own town.
P is for Pearl deals with the confronting issues of loss, trauma and mental illness. As a reader who has experienced these things, I found the book a story of acceptance and of moving on, and was heavily impacted by Gwen’s struggle, during and after the tragic loss of people she loved. This is an unputdownable book that will make you laugh, cry, and leave you wanting more.’
– Dylan McBurney
