Gap

by Rebecca Jessen

Winner of the 2013 Queensland Literary Award - Best Emerging Author. When you're at the end of the line with nowhere to turn - how far would you go to protect the one you love? A man is found dead in an inner - city suburb, a police officer walks the blurry line between duty and loyalty, and a young woman from the wrong side of the tracks is on the run. Ana soon becomes a suspect in the murder investigation, and as sole carer for her younger sister is desperately trying to stay ahead of the law. In a surprising twist, the detective in charge of the case is no stranger and Ana is forced to face her past and the things she has left behind. Unsure of who she can trust and isolated by her crime, Ana is drawn into a passionate affair that breaks all the rules. From the winner of the 2013 Queensland Literary Awards - Best Emerging Author category, Gap combines a gripping crime thriller with a style evocative of Dorothy Porter's cult classic, The Monkey's Mask.

• ISBN13: 9780702253201
• Publish Date: 23 July 2014 (first published 1 January 2014)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: AU
• Imprint: University of Queensland Press
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 232
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/07/gap-by-rebecca-jessen.html
Told in verse, Gap follows the sorrowful storyline of Ana, who had just reached the lowest point in her life thus far. After being kicked out of her mother's home at only sixteen, Ana has struggled to survive, but after taking in her underage sister Indie, it's given Ana a reason to pick herself and provide a life that their mother couldn't and Ana will do anything to keep Indie safe.

What I found so striking about Ana was her realism. Her emotions, willingness to admit her past mistakes and give everything she has to protect and provide for Indie. Her emotions, her genuine fear and her unconditional love for the girl who also rescued her in turn is honest, raw and readers will not only find themselves drawn to Ana, but can relate to her downfall. But being a prime suspect in a murder case will unravel the girl who is just barely keeping her life together.

Although she's made many questionable life decisions, Ana isn't a hardened criminal, she's merely a girl who finds herself in a situation now where she'll need to fight for her innocence, regardless of the legitimacy. As the storyline reveals itself, we see Ana's internal struggle against her only option, to admit defeat or fight to the bitter end. But hope comes in the form of her former partner, who Ana admits she can no longer trust. I loved Gap, the short, punchy style of verse not only had an enormous impact, but was incredibly engaging and left my heart aching for Ana and her situation.

My only complaint is that it felt unresolved, but rather it's left to the reader to interpret how Ana's story will end. But an incredibly worthy winner of the 2013 Queensland Literary Award for the Best Emerging Author.