{"id":18306,"date":"2019-10-11T10:30:23","date_gmt":"2019-10-11T00:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readingtime.com.au\/?p=18306"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:23:07","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T02:23:07","slug":"this-is-how-we-change-the-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readingtime.com.au\/this-is-how-we-change-the-ending\/","title":{"rendered":"This is How We Change the Ending"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Vikki Wakefield, This is How We Change the Ending, Text Publishing, September 2019, 272 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922268136 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Mr Reid has two handwritten signs stuck to the wall behind his desk, like giant Post-it note reminders.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revise.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Revise!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

REVISE!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

and<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dream-Goal-Plan-Action-Reality.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They might as well tell me to fly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The futility of imagining any type of future seems well entrenched for 16-year-old Nate McKee. Living in the same forgotten suburb where youth worker Mim (playing a very minor role) grew up in Wakefield\u2019s debut novel All I Ever Wanted<\/em>, Nate\u2019s cynicism and apathy is reinforced by what he sees around him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His own bedroom has been taken over by his father Dec\u2019s hydro crop, his mother left long ago, and he now shares a set of bunkbeds with his toddler twin brothers, one of whom is disabled. His young stepmother tries her best, but she\u2019s young and overwhelmed with the twin\u2019s needs, and often bears the brunt of Dec\u2019s unpredictable rages. Living on a diet of chip sandwiches and watching his father disappear each night to the pub, Nate doesn\u2019t see any point in trying to escape a fate he feels is already sealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The place of refuge for Nate and the other kids looking to escape their troubled homes is Youth; a community centre with a kitchen and rec room, a few old couches and a big screen TV. However the government is threatening to close the space, and it is not until some of Nate\u2019s own poetry is stolen and his words graffitied across the wall of the building that Nate feels a spark of hope; When they\u2019ve burned all our houses the streets will inherit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For too many young people, the ending seems as though it can\u2019t be changed. Wakefield has offered the reader an opportunity to understand entrenched poverty and disadvantage through the eyes of someone living it, and it is not comfortable reading. It is searingly honest, gritty, and yes, depressing. Whether young people see themselves within this story, or are understanding the challenges others face in day to day life, this novel is one that students aged between 14-18 should engage with. It should feature in every secondary school library collection. It is perfect for a book club, novel study, a character study of anti-hero Nate or as an examination of urban life in parts of Australia, with teachers\u2019 notes available.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewed by Kay Oddone<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Vikki Wakefield, This is How We Change the Ending, Text Publishing, September 2019, 272 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922268136 Mr Reid has two handwritten signs stuck to the wall behind his desk, like giant Post-it note reminders. Revise. Revise! REVISE! and Dream-Goal-Plan-Action-Reality. They might as well tell me to fly. The futility of imagining<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18307,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,2],"tags":[920,39,1240,45,48,620,884,104,394,283,265],"yoast_head":"\nThis is How We Change the Ending - Reading Time<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/readingtime.com.au\/this-is-how-we-change-the-ending\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"This is How We Change the Ending - Reading Time\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Vikki Wakefield, This is How We Change the Ending, Text Publishing, September 2019, 272 pp., RRP $19.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781922268136 Mr Reid has two handwritten signs stuck to the wall behind his desk, like giant Post-it note reminders. 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