Isobelle Carmody, Alyzon Whitestarr, Ford Street, 12 April 2016, 601pp., $24.95 (pbk), ISBN 9781925272185
Alyzon Whitestarr wakes from a month-long coma with a startling new ability. She can smell the essence of those around her, from the coffee-ground scent of her Da to the rotten stench of Harlen Sanderson. Alyzon’s extended senses enable her to guess the mood and emotions of people but the puzzle of why some perfectly handsome people reek horrendously and why others are lavender is disturbing. As Alyzon forms new friendships through Gilly, she finds support for her theory that something foul and destructive has invaded a network of people and is rotting them at their core. Alyzon and friends’ attempts at solving the mystery of this infection climax as Alyzon’s sister Serenity nearly dies under its influence.
This is a long tale (600 pages) that touches on a number of different issues as it focuses on the ancient sickness infecting people including artistic self-possessed mothers, music, the capability of goodness to withstand badness, asylum seekers, violent fathers and disability. Although at times Alyzon acts much older than a teenager, and we never quite understand where and why the sickness is there, the book is very readable.
This edition of Alyzon Whitestarr is a Ford Street re-release of a 2005 production. It won the Aurealis Award for best young adult fiction as well as the Golden Aurealis for best novel in that year. Although over ten years old, the story in the main hasn’t dated although the lack of mobile phones may seem odd to young readers. Recommended for older readers.
Reviewed by Pam Harvey
