Lily Samson is sure her family is the craziest. Her brother lolls around, dropping in and out of school, unable to find a path in life. Her Pop, though she loves him, is a bona fide racist (as far as she's concerned), her Nan has an invisible friend, her mother is fond of bringing home clients from work to stay with them, and Lily, in all her Year Ten glory, is the responsible one in the house. Her friends giggle about boys, she makes shopping lists. Her friends makes up new words, she makes dinner plans. Really, there's most definitely something wrong here.

Lonnie,  errant brother, has moved out after a blow-out with Pop, involving an axe. Living in a Boarding House for Gentleman, and once again enrolled in school, he's still trying to find his way. His mother, with no real way to know how he's doing, worries. Endlessly and pointlessly, if you ask Lily.  Indeed, Lonnie nearly does repeat his cycle yet again, but a little intervention stays his hand. In fact, meeting Clara has changed the world for Lonnie, and all for the better.

Back at home, Lily has concluded she needs to fall in love. It seemed just the answer to her premature aging. And yet, once decided, she quickly changes her mind and finds the whole process of having a crush to be quite horrid. Unfortunately, she can't go back.

She's sure as anything that Daniel Steadman doesn't even know she exists; across town Daniel is plagued with dreams of a mystery girl with a beautiful voice.

Waking in a frenzy one night, unable to recall the color of his mother's eyes, Pop takes a trip to his old neighborhood at Nan's urging. Most of it is gone, replaced with stores and shops and food all foreign to him. Worse yet, while sitting on a bench recollecting, he calls aloud a most unfortunate phrase and insults the Chinese woman who just happened to be across the way at the time. He runs for it, but determined not to take abuses anymore, she chases him down. They find in one another an unexpected friend.

Nan, feeling certain that the family needs a celebration, decides to hold a party for Pop's eightieth birthday. A grand event, it will be! She's just sure it will help Pop and Lonnie to reconcile. She's been pestering Lily to try to make it happen, and to make sure Lon comes to the event. Though Lily is certain this can only end badly, what with Clara being Chinese, she does as asked.

In fact, Lily decides this party is important. Maybe the most important thing in their lives. She needs it to be a success. And because he hears this quiet desperation in his sister's voice, Lonnie agrees. To make up, and to attend. Lily can only hope it will be the one, perfect day she feels she, and they all, deserve.

This is a witty and perceptive book about a woman, Eliza, who is so unhappy that she begins to go mad. But the whole story is told from her perspective, so the reader is never clear whether or not the events are real or imaginary. As she is an intelligent, funny person, and we, as readers get inside her head, it is never a gloomy read. When we first meet her she is a rather irritating lady, trying to do good by her neighbours, but really annoying them in the process. When her neighbour, Joan apparently leaves her family to go travelling, Eliza writes to her asking her to come back. The letters continue, but become the narrative in journal form, and we learn all about Eliza's monotonous life in the Road, as we witness her descent into mental uncertainty. As this happens, and we get to know her, she becomes funny and loveable, i.e. the person that she really is. But there is one person who sees the true Eliza, and loves her for it. To give any more away would ruin the book. But the plot keeps you reading on, and there are surprises on the way.

I enjoyed this book. I don't like love stories - this isn't one. And, as I said, it's not miserable. I laughed quite a lot while reading it. It's tender, understanding, and clever, as well as being easy to read. Jane Gardam is a good writer. I recommend this book.

I hadn't heard of this book before. I found it while stockchecking at work, and thought it looked interesting (no wonder it takes me so long to finish stock-checking). It had never been checked out before either, but that probably says more about our library than the book itself.

The story is about a family who are making their way from Mineola, Texas to Bompa's house in Gaylord in their car, trading their clothes and other possessions for petrol as they go. The family are a mother, father, brother and sister. We learn early on that the family have recently suffered the death of the youngest baby son from yellow fever, and have decided to move away for a fresh start at Bompa's house, shedding all reminders of their past life as they go. In their profound grief, they take the body of the youngest son with them when they leave Mineola, digging it out of the grave and keeping it in the boot of the car during their journey.

The bereavement has a severe effect on the family, and the children seem to feel that they themselves are being stripped away as they lose more and more of their toys and clothes to other children. The mother trades away her wedding dress and wedding rings, while the father gives away his wallet and the contents of the glove box. They are empty, and seem to be trying to get rid of their grief by getting rid of every physical possession that made them what they were before. They hope for a new baby to make the family complete again.

The unusual thing about this book is the narration. Each chapter is told in turns by the little boy and the little girl, both of whom have distinctive ways of understanding what is happening to them, and they relate events in ways that make you think carefully about what is actually happening, and are quite heartbreaking at times. The little girl for instance, uses her 'doll-family' to act out how she'd like her 'people-family' to be - her voice in particular gives the book an individuality and a warmth, but at the end of the day, this is a story about tragedy and loss that is worth reading for the children's perspectives on their journey.