From the Publisher
Haunting and beautiful. At first it has the page-turning addictiveness of a thriller and then it evolves into a captivating exploration of grief, guilt and resilience in the face of fear and uncertainty. Hall’s characters are meticulously drawn, brave, fierce and vulnerable. A stunning achievement from an Australian treasure.” Wai Chim, author of The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling; “A powerful, compelling read about the fragility, resilience and fierceness of girlhood. Unputdownable.” Lili Wilkinson, author of The Erasure Initiative; “Hall’s writing is breathtakingly good. The Gaps is a lightning bolt of a novel about power, privilege, race, art and identity.” Nina Kenwood, author of It Sounded Better in My Head
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2021-11-30
An account of the aftermath of a student’s abduction.
When 16-year-old Chinese Australian Yin Mitchell is abducted, the news is devastating, especially for her fellow classmates at Balmoral Ladies College in the Melbourne area. From Chloe, a biracial (Chinese Singaporean and White Australian) scholarship student who knew Yin from fleeting encounters, to Natalia, a White girl who is a force within the high school hierarchy and Yin’s estranged childhood best friend, the abduction reverberates across the community. Each day that passes only spurs more fear and edginess. In alternating chapters switching between Chloe’s and Natalia’s perspectives, the narrative charts the 79 days of limbo that follow. Hall teases and unravels information deftly and balances the narrative tension with thought-provoking rumination. While the mystery of Yin’s disappearance is a powerful undercurrent, at the center of the novel lies a nuanced exploration of grief, guilt, violence, and resilience. Readers discover who Yin and her classmates are beneath surface appearances and consider the impact of the threat of male violence on the world these young women live in. How do gender, race, and social class affect public interest and outcry—and the girls’ everyday realities? Questions of sensationalism, art, and censorship also arise. Characters are fully drawn and realized, and the destabilizing atmosphere of speculation and uncertainty is well developed.
Hauntingly riveting. (Fiction. 14-18)
