I very recently finished reading What A Way To Go by Julia Forster and honestly cannot get over how brilliant this book was. I think I felt every emotion whilst reading this book - from sadness to hope to happiness but at all times this book was nothing but consistent in that it was beautifully written from beginning to end and I completely fell in love with it. All I hope is that my review can do it the justice that it deserves.
What A Way To Go told the unforgettable story of Harper Richardson whose parents got divorced when she was five years old. In 1988, and now aged 12, Harper predominantly lives with her mum, spends every other weekend at her dads and is growing up quickly, learning all there is to know about life, love and much, much more besides.
Told entirely from the perspective of Harper, it didn’t take me long to connect with her and the story she had to tell. She’s an extremely admirable character who, often acting far older than her years, dealt with an array of issues in such a way that even some people much older than her would struggle to cope with. Let’s just say that even at my age I could and did learn a lot from Harper.
From the minute I picked this book up I was hooked. I did not want to put it down and wanted to spend every spare moment I had reading it and say that this was a very impressive debut novel. I absolutely adored Julia’s writing style which completely transported me into Harper’s world. What A Way To Go offers an insight into what it’s like for a young person to grow up when things around them are less than perfect. At the same time it demonstrates how it is possible to survive the worst of times and how it’s always best to look on the bright side of life.
Having loved What A Way To Go so very much, I really hope that this is not the first and last book I will be lucky enough to read by Julia Forster. I loved it and feel sure that many others will too.
