Review: The Stars at Oktober Bend
Gaby Meares
Glenda Millard has done it again. Her stories are always heart breakers, and this one doesn’t disappoint. Our 15 year old narrator, Alice, tells us her story with no capital letters, and strange words and structure that beautifully capture her “broken electrics”. We know something truly terrible happened to her when she was 12. And then she meets Manny, a boy who has seen his own horrors in Sierra Leone. This is lyrical and haunting, suspenseful and sad, but ultimately joyful. Highly recommended for young adults from Year 7+.