Are You Seeing Me?

by Darren Groth

[wcs53]

I received this book from LibraryThing Early Reviewers. The premise of it appealed to me and it didn't disappoint me. It's a story about nineteen year old twins- brother and sister - who a year after losing their father from cancer set out from Australia on a trip to British Columbia and Seattle. Justine, the sister, is the sole caregiver for her brother, Perry, who has a neurological condition that causes him to be prone to what she describes as 'inappropriate behaviours'. She has ended up as the caregiver because their mother left them when they were four years old.

The trip is to be one last journey together before Perry moves into assisted living back home in Australia. The story is told in turn by each of the twins, which made it more interesting than a straight story told from one person's point of view. It was interesting to see things through both Perry and Justine's eyes. There were some really funny moments, along with some sadder ones, plus the story took some unexpected turns along the way. The author is an Australian, married to a Canadian, with twin children, who moved from Australia to Canada. He seems to have written many of his own experiences into the book, which made it a very believable story, as well as very detailed in the places the characters visited.

This is one I'd recommend, especially for teens. It touches on many different issues that people face when moving from adolescence into adulthood. I'm glad I was given the opportunity to read it.