Danielle Binks, Six Summers of Tash and Leopold, Lothian, August 2024, 312 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9780734421890
This is a very busy book. Almost every character is dealing with a major issue. Leo and Tash are next-door neighbours who used to be best friends but for some reason, Tash hasn’t spoken to Leopold since being treated for leukaemia several years ago. Leo’s Dad has relocated to Western Australia and is living with his parents for reasons Leo doesn’t understand until it is revealed that he has a gambling addiction. This causes Leo and his Mum a lot of stress and anxiety, which is exacerbated for Leo by having to attend a prestigious high school to which he won a scholarship but where he has no friends and is not near his home. His panic attacks about attending school become more frequent.
Across the bridge on the other side of the street is a reclusive lady whose son tragically drowned. She has agoraphobia and will not leave the house while people are around but also because it has memories of her son. She is also being harassed by the property developers who have bought up all the other properties except hers and have started building nearby.
Into this mix are many angst-ridden relationships. Leo and Tash tentatively re-establish their friendship, only to have it dashed by Tash’s relapse. Leo and his primary school best buddy Rumi have drifted apart by being at different secondary schools. Leo’s Mum and Dad have issues to sort through. Ms Shepparson’s house is burnt to the ground in a suspected arson attack and Tash and Leo almost lose their lives in the same way as her son.
While the text is well-written and engaging, tackling serious medical and mental health issues in a realistic way, it perhaps tries to cover too much in one book. Throw in a lot of political correctness with a teacher-librarian constantly referred to as Mx Chambers with ‘they’ and ‘theirs’ and the reader may find that empathy starts to wane, even though the primary school library offers a safe haven for Leo and words of wisdom and support from Mx Chambers.
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage
