Jellicoe Road
- by: Melina Marchetta
- Published by: Harper Collins
- New York: 2006
- 419 pgs.
- 3Q 3P J+ S
Taylor Markham, age eleven, is abandoned by her mother at the 7-Eleven on Jellicoe Road. A young lady named Hannah drives by and saves the young child from distress. Taylor spends the next years with Hannah and attends a private school located nearby. At eighteen, Taylor is chosen to lead her house at school and take the responsibilities of leading the war between the Townies and Cadets from neighboring schools. Little does she know that everything she has experienced up to now is connected. Hannah mysteriously disappears which possesses Taylor to delve into her past. Previous events and relationships, including a tragic car accident, underlies Taylor’s fate which affects her future. Taylor discovers Hannah’ memoirs about her family’s past including the whereabouts of her drug addicted mother. Readers will feel Taylor’s struggles as she discovers her past, works to mend the present while dealing with her dying mother, falls in love and finds the joys of life on Jellicoe Road.
The novel’s theme deals with identity as Taylor tries to come to terms with abandonment while tracing her family history, making sense of the present situation and working to build relationships. The author gives an interesting, but sometimes confusing story, as she attempts to tell two stories simultaneously. Young readers will view the plot from Taylor’s eyes, but intermixed in this storyline, is the Hannah’s manuscript telling the details of a horrific car accident. Readers will find an emotionally distructive tone as they follow Taylor through her reluctantance of becoming a house leader and coping with the school wars. Taylor, lost in life, cannot understand why certain dreams occur and why people keep disappearing from her life. As the story progresses, the plot turns more positive as Taylor pieces her life together and is reunited with her cancer ridden mother. Not only does she uncover the secrets of the family, she also finds love. Teens will relate with the characters and their experiences as they try to make sense of the world around them. The author allows readers to make their own visual representations of the characters as vivid details are not given. Although confusing at times, this book possesses high readability for a teen audience as the readers build understanding of the plot’s background.
Overall, this was not one of my favorites. I found myself lost in the aspects of the plot and unable to make sense of the details. I think a younger reader may become frustrated with this storyline and abandon the book. Once the reader gets beyond the first few chapters, aspects begin to come together, but are still confusing at times. I had a hard time understanding the inclusion of some aspects. It would have been helpful if Hannah’s manuscript was more descriptive, and the reader had some background information before evaluating the story from Taylor’s point of view. The quality of writing kept my attention, and the author used easily understandable vocabulary for a teen audience.
Appealing to male and female readers, teens might enjoy the Australian setting while connecting to family and personal values explicitly addressed. I recommend this title to the high school age reader considering the plot complexity of relationships, love aspects, and actions of the characters.
The appealing book’s cover art is eye catching toward teen readers. A brightly colored flower could symbolize Taylor’s evolving life or the flowers seen along Jellicoe Road. This image may appeal more to the female audience and might discourage males from exploring the title. The addition of character photos and images of the school campuses could have provided more background and caught the attention of a wider variety of readers.
