Format: Kindle Edition- File Size: 875 KB
- Print Length: 384 pages
- Publisher: The Borough Press (13 Jun. 2019)
- Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
- Language: English
- ASIN: B07KJSY1F
Synopsis
Augusta Hope has never felt like she fits in.
At six, she’s memorising the dictionary. At seven, she’s correcting her teachers. At eight, she spins the globe and picks her favourite country on the sound of its name: Burundi.
And now that she’s an adult, Augusta has no interest in the goings-on of the small town where she lives with her parents and her beloved twin sister, Julia.
When an unspeakable tragedy upends everything in Augusta’s life, she’s propelled headfirst into the unknown. She’s determined to find where she belongs – but what if her true home, and heart, are half a world away?
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Review
The Other Half of Augusta Hope is the stunning debut novel from Joanna Glen. Julia and Augusta Hope are twins; Julia born in the final hours of 31 July and Augusta in the early hours of August 1st. Their different birthdays are just the beginning of their differences, Julia is blonde, Augusta is dark, Julia is the perfect daughter who does as she is told, Augusta questions everything in life, Julia is a homebird and happy to stay in her home town, Augusta wants to move away, discover the world, as home doesn’t feel like home for her, and she feels second best. After a tragedy, Augusta finally flees her parents home and goes looking for another home, a place where she can be herself.
Augusta is a wonderful heroin and a mascot for all those who feel a bit different and displaced. As a child she is highly intelligent, always asking questions and reads the dictionary to feed her love of words. The complete opposite to her sister, she realises she annoys her parents who are very narrow-minded, traditional and don’t understand her, like her wanting to befriend James next door who is disabled. As a child she decides to choose Burundi as her favourite country just because she likes the way the word sounds, and, as a parallel to Augusta’s story there is the story of Parfait from Burundi. Parfait shares similar dreams and ideas with Augusta, he also wants a better life, dreams of finding a home elsewhere, even if it is for different reasons; civil war, rape, and murder. These two characters, from different sides of the world, with different lives, share hopes, dreams and tragedy and their stories mirror how somethings transcend nationality, race, and geogaphy.
Joanna Glen’s writing style is lyrical and poetical, she shows great understanding of the emotions and lives of her characters and is able to write about them in a beautiful way so the reader can feel and live those emotions with the characters. The two parallel story lines are a stark contrast to each other but show that no matter where we are in the world we all share the same expectations from life, and that we all have to deal with death, love, loss and tragedy. It is these themes that resonated with me and underpin the narrative of this book. Yes, there are some difficult issues raised during the book, but ultimately I found this to be an uplifting read about the importance of family, love, and following your heart.
The Other Half of Augusta Hope is a stunning debut novel, full of emotion and heart and I think it will be one of those books we will be talking about for the rest of the year. Beautifully written, with complex and endearing characters that can’t help but love and maybe a few you don’t love as much. I found this a captivating and heartwarming read and one that will stay in my memory for a long time; a moving and remarkable read.
Thank you to Borough Press, and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Thank you for reading my review and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did, it would be perfect to pack in your case for your summer holiday.
