Review: Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan

Truly, Wildly, Deeply by Jenny McLachlan

Published by: Bloomsbury
ISBN: 9781408879740
Released: March 8 (UK) April 1 (AUS)

Read: December 17, 2017

What Jenny MacLachlan has done here is nothing short of brilliant. Her provocative protagonist challenges us to re-think all our assumptions and misnomers about disability, friendship, and love. Annie has cerebral palsy and her brisk, exuberant attitude to life is a beautiful slap in the face to all young people who moan about how tough they have it, how much school annoys them, and about how much they don’t have.

Annie’s excitement about attending secondary college is refreshing. She wants to take advantage of every opportunity thrown her way. She makes friends like a boss, argues literature with a passion, and grabs hold of life tightly and with joy.

Let’s talk about Fab for a moment. He matches her for passion and enthusiasm. His motto, ‘life’s too short for embarrassment’ even catches Annie off guard. Yes, she is determined to be seen for herself, not her twisted legs or limps, but Fab’s flamboyant declaration that he wants her ‘to be his girl’ startles her, and she denies her mutual feelings and fobs him off.

While we accept Annie’s surface explanation of her decision to be friends, we also see how much hurt she causes. Annie’s growth as a character parallels her understanding of her selfishness, and her grand gesture is balanced perfectly with a realistic and honest discussion of relationships and expectations. When they finally begin to communicate, their feelings for each other can evolve naturally, and the open ending is welcome and strong.

While I have focused on the romantic aspect of the plot, be aware there is a lot more going on. Annie’s friends each have their own journey, and I particularly enjoyed Annie’s conversations with Jackson as they travel to and from school by train. His own love story contrasts with Annie’s, and his frankness with her is pivotal to her choices. Such a great thing to see—a platonic boy/girl friendship.

Annie’s mother is a loving support, although her own doubts about Annie are realistic and understandable. Fab’s Polish family offer a glimpse into his life—not always easy, but always loved, and Miss Caudle, their English teacher is exactly the teacher you want for this pair. I love the representations of adults and young people alike.

Truly, Wildly, Deeply is highly recommended for readers who love their contemporaries full of diversity, wit, and positive messages. Annie makes many mistakes, but she owns up to them and makes better decisions. Thanks to publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this book for review which will be out in the UK on March 8, and here in Australia on April 1.