{"id":21759,"date":"2021-04-05T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-04T22:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readingtime.com.au\/?p=21759"},"modified":"2021-03-31T12:21:50","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T02:21:50","slug":"worse-things","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readingtime.com.au\/worse-things\/","title":{"rendered":"Worse Things"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Sally Murphy (text) and Sarah Davis (illustrator), Worse Things<\/a><\/em>, Walker Books, May 2020, 208 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760651657<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The simplicity of a verse novel can be deceptive. What appears to be a few easy-to-read lines on a page, is a very careful blend of the exact word, emotion, and moment. It can also be a wonderful way for readers to experience the complexity and depth of character of a novel, without full pages of text, which can be intimidating for the more reluctant reader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sally Murphy is a natural at the verse novel, with her writing both spare and rich. In Worse Things<\/em>, Jolene is a champion hockey player, who is questioning her love of the game, Blake is a football legend who suffers a season-ending injury and Amed stands on the sidelines of their lives, after leaving behind a traumatic past for a new life in Australia. These three tweens seemingly have nothing in common but are drawn together because of their troubles and find solace and understanding in ways they never expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reviewed by Deborah Abela<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

Sally Murphy (text) and Sarah Davis (illustrator), Worse Things, Walker Books, May 2020, 208 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760651657 The simplicity of a verse novel can be deceptive. What appears to be a few easy-to-read lines on a page, is a very careful blend of the exact word, emotion, and moment. It can also<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21760,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1401,2,6],"tags":[1486,1800,1077,1473,132,792,618],"yoast_head":"\nWorse Things - 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\/worse-things\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Worse Things - Reading Time\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sally Murphy (text) and Sarah Davis (illustrator), Worse Things, Walker Books, May 2020, 208 pp., RRP $14.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781760651657 The simplicity of a verse novel can be deceptive. 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