Jasper Jones

Craig Silvey

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English

Allen & Unwin
01 May 2010

Fiction & Literature; Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945); Indie Awards; Australian Fiction

Late on a hot summer night in the tail end of 1965, Charlie Bucktin, a precocious and bookish boy of thirteen, is startled by an urgent knock on the window of his sleep-out. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in the regional mining town of Corrigan. Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress.

Jasper takes him through town and to his secret glade in the bush, and it's here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper's horrible discovery. With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion as he locks horns with his tempestuous mother, falls nervously in love and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend, Jeffrey Lu.

And in vainly attempting to restore the parts that have been shaken loose, Charlie learns to discern the truth from the myth, and why white lies creep like a curse. In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.

'If we see a more entertaining, heartfelt piece of Australian literature in the next 12 months, it will be a rare year indeed - an Australian To Kill a Mockingbird.' - The Monthly

'It's genius.' - West Australian

'. impossible to put down . There's tension, injustice, young love, hypocrisy . and, above all, the certainty that Silvey has planted himself in the landscape as one of our finest storytellers.' - Australian Women's Weekly

'Jasper Jones confronts inhumanity and racism, as the stories of Mark Twain and Harper Lee did. Silvey's voice is distinctive: astute, witty, angry, understanding and self-assured.' - Weekend Australian

'Jasper Jones is a riveting tale, studded with laugh-out-loud and life-affirming moments yet underpinned by a clear-eyed examination of human weaknesses and misdemeanours.' - Adelaide Advertiser

By: Craig Silvey
Imprint: Allen & Unwin
Country of Publication: Australia
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 128mm, Spine: 199mm
Weight: 306g
ISBN: 9781742372624
ISBN 10: 1742372627
Pages: 408
Publication Date: 01 May 2010
Recommended Age: From
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Craig Silvey is the author of Rhubarb and The World According to Warren, a picture book affectionately starring the guide-dog from Rhubarb.

Short-listed for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2011
Short-listed for Miles Franklin Literary Award 2010
Shortlisted for International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award 2011.
Shortlisted for Miles Franklin Literary Award 2010.
Winner of Nielsen BookData/ABA Book of the Year Award - Booksellers' Choice 2010
Winner of Nielsen BookData/ABA Book of the Year Award - Booksellers' Choice 2010.