Book Review – The Lucky Ones by Tohby Riddle
Australian Picture Book Writer Publishes First Young Adult Novel
Apr 24, 2009
Australian picture book writer and illustrator Tohby Riddle has completed his first youth novel, The Lucky Ones (Penguin, 2009), a long-term project that has finally come to fruition.
The Lucky Ones
Tom has just finished school and is faced with decisions about his future. Artistic and laid-back, Tom drifts along after school, attending Art School and hanging out with friends at parties in Sydney’s inner suburbs and beaches.
Tom’s desire to maintain the status quo is disrupted when his mother suddenly announces that she is leaving. The disruption to Tom’s home life upsets his sense of stability and balance, which is further disrupted by the increasingly erratic behaviour of his best friend Cain.
In the midst of the emotional upheaval, Tom needs to make decisions about his own future which include his lessons at Art School and the normal school-leaver concerns of getting a driver’s licence, finding a job and spending time with friends.
The pace of The Lucky Ones is quite slow, matching Tom’s rather philosophical approach. Tom often takes the role of observer and seems to process and reflect rather than instinctively respond to situations that arise.
Teenage Friendships
Central to The Lucky Ones are the significant and evolving friendships in Tom’s life.
Cain and Tom share what seems a typical late teen male friendship. They harbour thoughts of forming a band and taking the music world by storm, go to parties, call each other up at odd hours when they have nothing else to do and simply hang out together. As Cain’s behaviour becomes increasingly paranoid and erratic, Tom must choose whether to be pulled along with Cain’s confusion or distance himself.
On a romantic front, Tom tries gauge and understand his attraction to Katy and assess her feelings. Katy comes from a wealthy family, which makes Tom insecure. He is also uncertain of whether to take the risk of jeopardising an important friendship by trying to develop it into something more.
Tohby Riddle
Well known for his work with children’s picture books, Tohby Riddle’s titles include The Singing Hat (Viking, 2000) and Nobody Owns the Moon (Penguin, 2008). Riddle’s books are unusual and thought-provoking, offering unusually deep and thoughtful themes and quirky characters. An interview by the Aussie YA Alliance offers insight into Riddle’s approach to writing.
Born and raised in Sydney, Riddle now lives in the upper Blue Mountains. His website caption, “ideas in words and pictures” perfectly captures the thoughtful nature of his work.
Making Sense of Life After High School
Tom’s artistic and philosophical temperament sets a slow and meandering pace for The Lucky Ones. Tom simply takes each day as it comes, slowly leaving behind the routines and habits of high school and gradually moving into a more mature outlook where his actions are determined by his own choices not simply an automatic deference to a more dominant friend, particularly Cain.
Tom is an affable character and in the midst of the relationship issues, his life takes a fairly plodding course into adulthood. As with Riddle’s picture books, The Lucky Ones is simply written but filled with deeper meaning and opportunities for reflection.
The Lucky Ones is a novel that is most likely to attract those who are interested in looking for deeper meaning and significance in what they read, with discussions about art and music interwoven with relationship themes exploring family, friendships and romance and general observations about growing away from the safety and routine of school life.
In a similar way to Glenda Millard’s novel A Small Free Kiss in the Dark (Allen & Unwin, 2009), The Lucky Ones is likely to find a small but devoted following rather than capture the attention of a larger market.
The Lucky Ones (ISBN: 978-0-14-300569-8, 211 pages)
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