Pink

>> Wednesday, February 13, 2013



Author: Lili Wilkinson
Recommended Age: Young Adult
Publisher: Tegen Other
ISBN: 987-0-06-192653-2
Year Published: 2010
No. Pages: 310
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Main Character Gender: Female
Read & Reviewed by: Robyn



Ava has one goal this year: to wear pink. She is tired of her black hair, black clothes and ultra cool attitude. Ava's mom has told her since she was little, that being a girl isn't about wearing make-up, high heels and wearing pink. Her parents want her to stay the way she is but she wants to fit in and be popular.

To reinvent herself and become someone new, she transfers to Billy Hugh's School of Academic Excellence. On her first day she meets Alexis. Someone, Ava wants to be. Wearing her new pink sweater, she feels like a new version herself. But she has to keep this version from her parents and her girlfriend, Chole, because they wouldn't understand. But secrets are hard to keep. What will happen when her worlds collide? Will she discover who her friends are and ultimately, who she really is?

Pink was told in first person narrative so I got to know Ava more intimately. I liked how Lili Wilkinson wrote this novel with just enough detail without making the writing cumbersome. This gave me a more honest and realistic look at Ava's life. Wilkinson captured seventeen-year-old Ava so well, that she could be a teenager at my local high school. The dialogue was realistic and not written how an adult believes teenagers speak.

The themes of Pink were current, unlike so many of the novels I've read about girls discovering their own identity. I often struggle with belonging and find the sense of confidence in the self I am today. I know most girls my age do. I think that Pink really speaks to girls because it's about relationships and the emotions that accompany them.

Chole was my favourite character because she is unique and independent. She never wavered from her own identity, despite peer pressure. Even though I didn't always agree with the choices she made, I found her inspiring. Wilkinson doesn't offer two dimensional characters, and this adds to the novel's realism.

This is the first and only book I have read of Wilkinson's but I would love to read another. I give Pink a 9 out of 10. The reason it fell short of a ten was because of the Australian slang which I found a little difficult to understand. I read this novel quickly and I think it is a good book for girls searching for their own identities within high school.


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