Book Review: This One is Ours
Kate O’Donnell’s This One is Ours welcomes the reader into its heroine’s world with a casual kindness that goes unmatched in the YA genre. Though tackling monumental issues in our society, O’Donnell builds her world on the smallest of details, allowing for the narrative to fall into the reader's hands like a puzzle, not a lecture.
Sophie has dreamt of going to Paris from the suburbs of Melbourne for years. But upon arrival, the romance of The City of Love isn’t quite what she expected, her romantic daydreams contorting to conform to reality. Through exploring Parisian landmarks and snapping photos of cracks in the concrete: Sophie stumbles into a world of Independence and Art beyond anything she could have imagined. It’s a beautiful story of coming of age: in all its uncomfortable, confusing and casual glory.
O’Donnell skilfully reminds the reader of the effervescent nature of self-discovery, how quickly huge moments can pass us by whilst the most minuscule of details linger in our minds. It’s a giddy and gritting journey of growing up: an incredible read. Truly, if you’re looking to get out a rut, this book will suck you in without you even knowing it: it is the most marvellous mix of the magical and mundane.
Intermingling rebellion, fear, love and protest into one breathtakingly subtle novel, O’Donnell truly delivers a 5-star read, one which I’d recommend to anyone and everyone.
Written By Violet Fitzsimons, SCWC Young Book Reviewer 2023
