Once, in a street not very far from yours, there lived a girl called Anonymity Jones.
Anonymity’s life is not going so well. Actually, that’s an understatement. Her parents’ marriage has just broken up, her sister has changed her name and is heading for Europe, and her three close friends are all busy being girlfriends. When her mother brings home a creepy new boyfriend, and Anonymity realises she has crush on her art teacher, things really start to get messy.
Anonymity Jones is a compelling new young adult read exploring issues of family, friendship and trust. Anonymity is a likeable protagonist who manages to sort out some really confronting dilemmas, in spite of a range of betrayals – both perceived and actual – from those around her.
While there are some fairly weighty issues explored here, author Roy manages to blend wit and edginess in a way which prevents the book from being either bogged down or too light for such issues.
Recommended for upper secondary readers.
Anonymity Jones, by James Roy
Woolshed Press, 2010
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