In Dear Vincent, 17 year old Tara McClusky’s life is hard. Her only source of consolation is her obsession with art and painting in particular. Most especially she is enamoured with Vincent Van Gogh: she has read all his letters and finds many parallels between the tragic story of his life and her own.
I’m liking
This book tackles some really tough topics – suicide, death, family… and the central character, Tara is strong and mature. The book is a good read and I found myself engaged and wanting things to work out for Tara.
Things that made me go hmmmm
There’s an old English teacher saying that goes: “Show, now tell” and I feel like there was a bit much ‘tell’ in this book. Some great moments were spoilt for me by pointing out the obvious or overwriting the point. The ending was also a bit tidy for me but I guess there is also something satisfying in this.
The conclusion
Hager has a strong narrative voice and if you’ve read the Blood of the Lamb series, you will know that she tells a good story. Tara McClusky is a great female character and this book will appeal to many teenage girls.
