Kate Cann
Breaking Up
language
( Dec. 29, 2012)
'That night in bed I get this thought, as strong as if someone’s said it straight into my ear: I’m here on this earth because those two loved each other. Now that’s all over, where does that leave me?'
Fliss's parents aren't getting on at all and they're turning her home into a battlefield. Fliss's only refuge is her boyfriend Simon and she leans heavily on him for support. Things come to a head when her father announces he's moving out. If this is what love is like, what chance does she stand with Simon? And why is he backing off all of a sudden, just when she needs him more than ever? Devastated, Fliss spins out of control. If her parents think she's about to stand by while they ruin her life, they can think again …..
GLASGOW HERALD: A gut-wrenchingly realistic account that would make seminal reading for divorcing parents as well as their teenagers.
THE BOOKSELLER: For authentic teenage voices, look no further than Kate Cann. In Breaking Up, we see the devastating effects of a parental split through the eyes of Fliss. Unable to come to terms with what she sees as her father's desertion, she goes to extreme measures to regain his attention. However, before she faces up to the external events she has first to deal with the turmoil, loneliness, anger and insecurity she feels but will not acknowledge. By the end, hope is beginning to emerge, and for any teenager going through the divorce mill this book will radiate truthfulness while also being a brilliantly executed piece of dramatic writing.
THE GUARDIAN: Fliss is dealing with looming GCSEs as well as the fallout from her parents' marriage break-up. At least Simon, her boyfriend, is a constant in her life. But Simon is scared by Fliss's neediness and, when he dumps her, she goes into freefall.
This is a familiar story of breakdown rendered fresh by the way it re-creates the intensity of teenage feelings. It is a racy read, but one that never feels less than emotionally true. It also scores highly in its depiction of adult feelings and behaviour, and the suggestion that parents have their own needs and don't always behave well. This is a scrupulously honest book that doesn't gloss over the hard realities of divorce.
BOOKS FOR KEEPS: A new Cann book is always a cause for celebration. The veracity of both internal and external dialogue in Breaking Up immediately communicates Fliss's anguish at the disintegration of her parents' relationship and of her own with her boyfriend Simon.
There is an overwhelming sense of isolation permeating the novel – Flss's over-dependence on Simon for support is graphically communicated and when their relationship crumbles the reader is left with a real sense of loss and anger on Fliss's behalf – a double perspective which allows one to observe and participate at the same time. The real triumph of the book is the reader's awareness that each character is reshaped by events; it is their destroyed relationships which define them, not their independent personalities.
The therapeutic value of Breaking Up cannot be ignored; the absolute realism of emotional trauma is slowly replaced by an equally determined climb to rehabilitation and renewal.
Fliss's parents aren't getting on at all and they're turning her home into a battlefield. Fliss's only refuge is her boyfriend Simon and she leans heavily on him for support. Things come to a head when her father announces he's moving out. If this is what love is like, what chance does she stand with Simon? And why is he backing off all of a sudden, just when she needs him more than ever? Devastated, Fliss spins out of control. If her parents think she's about to stand by while they ruin her life, they can think again …..
GLASGOW HERALD: A gut-wrenchingly realistic account that would make seminal reading for divorcing parents as well as their teenagers.
THE BOOKSELLER: For authentic teenage voices, look no further than Kate Cann. In Breaking Up, we see the devastating effects of a parental split through the eyes of Fliss. Unable to come to terms with what she sees as her father's desertion, she goes to extreme measures to regain his attention. However, before she faces up to the external events she has first to deal with the turmoil, loneliness, anger and insecurity she feels but will not acknowledge. By the end, hope is beginning to emerge, and for any teenager going through the divorce mill this book will radiate truthfulness while also being a brilliantly executed piece of dramatic writing.
THE GUARDIAN: Fliss is dealing with looming GCSEs as well as the fallout from her parents' marriage break-up. At least Simon, her boyfriend, is a constant in her life. But Simon is scared by Fliss's neediness and, when he dumps her, she goes into freefall.
This is a familiar story of breakdown rendered fresh by the way it re-creates the intensity of teenage feelings. It is a racy read, but one that never feels less than emotionally true. It also scores highly in its depiction of adult feelings and behaviour, and the suggestion that parents have their own needs and don't always behave well. This is a scrupulously honest book that doesn't gloss over the hard realities of divorce.
BOOKS FOR KEEPS: A new Cann book is always a cause for celebration. The veracity of both internal and external dialogue in Breaking Up immediately communicates Fliss's anguish at the disintegration of her parents' relationship and of her own with her boyfriend Simon.
There is an overwhelming sense of isolation permeating the novel – Flss's over-dependence on Simon for support is graphically communicated and when their relationship crumbles the reader is left with a real sense of loss and anger on Fliss's behalf – a double perspective which allows one to observe and participate at the same time. The real triumph of the book is the reader's awareness that each character is reshaped by events; it is their destroyed relationships which define them, not their independent personalities.
The therapeutic value of Breaking Up cannot be ignored; the absolute realism of emotional trauma is slowly replaced by an equally determined climb to rehabilitation and renewal.
Enjoy reading Breaking Up? You may also like these books
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