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Everything Beautiful

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Sixteen-year-old Riley Rose doesn't believe in much. Since her mother's death Riley has been on a `downward spiral', she has become `rebellious' and her behaviour warrants `concern' from her father and his new `girlfriend', Norma. So they're sending Riley to Spirit Ranch, a Christian camp. Riley will have to leave behind her best friend, Chloe, and any designs she has on cute boy crush, Ben. She has to sleep in a cabin with a prissy Christian wench called Fleur and a quiet God-fearing doormat called Sarita.

But Spirit Ranch has its up-side, like zealot camp leader Craig of the Adonis good looks. Then there are camp regulars, siblings Olive and Bird, who blossom under Riley's protective wing.

But best of all is Dylan, the only other person who doesn't want to be here as bad as Riley. Because Dylan used to be a regular Christ-loving, bible-thumping Spirit Rancher . . . until he lost the use of his legs. Now he lives in a wheelchair, and hates the world. Riley can relate.

`Everything Beautiful' was the 2008 young adult novel from award-winning Australian writer, Simmone Howell.

This novel is sublime. It's a camp/pilgrimage/road-trip novel about a girl who starts out with no questions, but winds up with infinite curiosity.

When we meet her, Riley Rose has a self-diagnosed `Mum-shaped hole' in her life. Ever since her mother's death Riley has become a little bit wild. She befriended her school's resident slut, Chloe, and started flouting authority and rules. Riley's demise into rebelliousness is in direct contrast to her father's re-discovery of God. Once a lapsed Catholic, her father now attends church on a regular basis and is dating a fellow devout. Their solution to Riley's hurt and acting out is Spirit Ranch, their church's yearly camp for all good Christian children . . . Riley goes, begrudgingly, and with a list of unchanging truths in her life (all starting with 'I don't believe...)

But Spirit Ranch isn't exactly accepting. Riley is an instant target, a walking blasphemy whose weight issues (she's fat, deal with it) make her easy prey and her atheism turns her into a plague amongst the campers. The only people who actually like Riley are Olive and Bird, bullied siblings who find solace in Riley's easy acceptance and defence. Craig, the hunky camp leader who just wants to get into Riley's double-D's . . . and Dylan, the paraplegic boy whose sadness calls to Riley's own.

I loved this book. Riley is a fast and frenetic teen whose deep sadness is masked by false bravado. She's a fantastic leading lady, not least because Howell has written a taboo in making her F-A-T. Today Tonight obesity-watch reports remind us every day that Australia is climbing up the tubby ladder, yet so few teens in contemporary YA reflect this physicality.

The Christian camp setting was hilariously sublime. Reminiscent of one of my all-time favourite movies, `Saved!' (2004). Howell reveals that not all Christians are good, but not all atheists are without hope either. Howell isn't bashing religion in this book; she's just showing its myriad sides. Sure, the Christian teens in this book aren't exactly keeping up their `love thy neighbour' teachings, but this is more reflective of a William Golding exploration into pack behaviour than commentary on the decay of worship.

But the real Hail Mary of `Everything Beautiful' is Dylan. Dylan is trapped in a wheel chair after an undisclosed accident that everyone at Spirit Ranch is speculating about. Rumour has it he jumped 16 storeys. Another tale tells of a surfing accident. But only Dylan knows the truth, and he's not telling. Riley is intrigued . . . both by Dylan's silence about the accident, and his clear affinity for her and their Spirit Ranch plight. Dylan is one of my new favourite characters - I loved his contrasts and inherent enigma. I loved that he was full of snark and spirit, that he felt cheated in life but still wore a cross around his neck.

`Everything Beautiful' is more proof that there's something in the water for Australian YA. A quirky contemporary that introduces us to a feisty and furious girl called Riley, who is unbelieving and full of hurt. I loved this book, and from now on I will be worshipping at the word altar of Simmone Howell - anything she writes, I do so solemnly swear to devour.

Ever since the death of her mother years earlier, Riley Rose has been on the fast track to self destruction, choosing to muddle her way through life with the aid of drugs, alcohol, and sex. Against her will, Riley's father and his girlfriend Norma force her to go to Spirit Ranch, a religious prison in the middle of nowhere, as Riley sees it. Riley prepares herself to loathe the experience, the annoyingly religious campers, everything that just doesn't fit with Riley's personality. But Riley never expects to find the possibility of a kindred spirit, especially in Dylan Luck, a dark and sullen boy confined to a wheelchair. And then Riley realizes that she just might have faith after all, even if it's where she least expected it.

Everything Beautiful is a beautifully written story that draws readers in with its complex and unique characters. Riley seems to play the stereotypical fat girl, drowning her woes in this substance or that, but in reality, she is so much more. Weight barely plays a role because Riley's sarcastic yet cautious personality is larger than life, no pun intended. Readers can't help but like Riley and hope she finds whatever she's looking for because she's so lovable even with some of her mean qualities. Dylan's character is also compelling to read about, and I loved how he played the hero in the end. A big disappointment was when Spirit Ranch ended, because it is left up to the reader's imagination if Riley and Dylan ever meet again. With quirky characters, Everything Beautiful is a sweet romance that spreads a message of faith, if not in a religious way.

Fans of Vibes by Amy Kathleen Ryan and All About Vee by C. Leign Purtill will fall in love with Everything Beautiful's unforgettable main character. I hope I get a chance to read Howell's Notes from the Teenage Underground so I can sample more of her realistic writing and well drawn characters.

This book is exactly the kind of book I aspire to write. A memorable main character, a snappy voice, a quiet lyricism that makes me want to copy whole paragraphs out and share them with people, and a clear and captivating plot, too. I like the way there is emotion but no sentimentality, and there is "edginess" without making it seem like edginess was the only goal in writing the book. I would like to immediately go out and buy the debut from this author, except I may want to reread Everything Beautiful first.

Tricked into attending a week-long Bible camp by her dad and kooky stepmother, Riley Rose feels doomed. For one, she's an atheist, and she certainly doesn't play by the rules. She's a big girl, but she flaunts her figure just to unnerve the people around her. She cuts and dyes her own hair. Her best friend is definitely a bad influence, but Riley likes it that way. She arrives at camp with a plan to go AWOL halfway through the week. But by the time that day comes, Riley's take-no-prisoners attitude has rubbed off on many of her bunkmates - and Riley herself has befriended a paraplegic ex-bully who just might have values that rub off on her as well. Howell's novel is about way more than spirituality - it's about growing out of selfishness long enough to understand someone else, about the universal suffering that is teenage awkwardness. Howell's writing is honest, cheeky, and fun, and her character, Riley Rose, is just the same. She's an angry kid with a chip on her shoulder, and yet she is completely accessible, hitting the heart of every teen girl that ever longed to love herself - and isn't that all of us? Everything Beautiful leaves a truly lasting impression worthy of acclaim.

A stylishly written book with memorable characters like Riley Rose and Dylan Luck. Yet why did I feel a letdown at the end? This story is a little too tidy. Troubled girl Riley, who still grieves for her dead mother, is sent to a Christian camp upon the advice of her father's new girlfriend. Not the kind of place where a girl like Riley will fit in, and there's a disturbing clone-like authoritarianism to the place. But as the story tells it, Riley does get out of herself, help others, and make some progress in handling her grief. All's well that ends well? I suppose parents who feel they have to administer "tough love" to their kids like to think so. I thought the father and his girlfriend handled Riley insensitively by sending her to that camp, and I found this story with its neat happy ending implausible.