Kate Gordon, Indigo in the Storm, Riveted Press, March 2023, 192 pp., RRP $16.95 (pbk), ISBN 9780645218039
Indigo was born in a storm, a destructive force now trapped inside her. Abandoned by her mother, she lives with her friend Aster and Aster’s Aunt Noni, a haven of sorts though not one that she asked for.
When mysterious new boy Liam uses graffiti to paint revolutionary messages to bring about change, his bold words ignite a call to action in Indigo. Maybe she needs to do something …as big as the world, as bold and impossible to ignore. It would be so big and so loud that her mother would have to see it. Maybe then she would finally come home.
This heartfelt companion novel to the CBCA award-winning Aster’s Good, Right Things and Xavier in the Meantime explores the shape of grief, family and friendship as three unique souls we have come to know and love, learn what it means to belong. Interconnected but not sequential, the stories enrich each other; diving back into the world of Indigo, Aster and Xavier is like checking on friends in your old neighbourhood. Author Gordon’s writing is powerful, yet never heavy-handed; poetic yet tangible, with a lightness and balance that helps young readers navigate weighty concepts.
A beautiful story well told for upper primary and an excellent mental health resource for schools.
Reviewed by Maura Pierlot
