Book Review: Where We Begin
Christie Neiman’s “Where We Begin” is a viscerally relatable novel, whose characters are so vibrantly delightful and yet muted by the complex reality Neisman weaves. With a delicate vulnerability that is truly astounding, our lead Anna stitches the patchwork of her past, present and future for her audience in a world wind of ATARs, boyfriends, estranged grandparents and open wine bottles on the kitchen counter that never seem to deplete. Desperate to escape her quietly dysfunctional home, and the looming prospect of adult responsibilities, Anna catches the next bus and escapes to rural Victoria.
This novel is a beautiful exploration of girlhood in Australian society, managing to be painfully specific to pains of the pressure which Anna places upon herself and yet a bitingly sharp portrayal of the deep hurt that racial trauma has caused australia: both the paper cuts and the bone breaks of identity. In “Where We Begin” Anna traces her scars back to their root as she follows a mysterious letter to her estranged grandparents, to avoid the sting of some more recent gashes that she has no clue how to mend despite the medical textbooks which she buries herself under.
I truly cannot recommend this novel enough. Especially if you’re in a reading drought, entering into Neiman’s world is an entirely un- intimidating process, in fact it feels as though you are simply returning home. Through a sharp portrayal of domestic Australia into a practically effervescent exploration of all the murky emotions and experience of girlhood, and adolescence as a whole; “where we begin” is simultaneously beautifully familiar and incredibly new and vibrant.
An absolute delight,”where we begin” is a remarkable 5/5 star read.
Written by Violet Fitz
2023
