Finding Violet Park is a funny and original novel. It tells the story of Lucas Swain, our peculiar narrator, and how he comes to know Violet Park – a woman who has been dead for five years, who he finds in an urn in a taxi office. The Swain family have their own problems – Lucas’ father has been missing for years, and Lucas’ mother can’t deal with it anymore. Over the course of the novel, Lucas gets to know his grandparents better, deceives a Tony Soprano look-a-like in order to steal the ashes of someone he’s never met, gets a girlfriend called Martha and befriends a dead woman.
Somehow, by stumbling across an urn, he’ll discover his family’s secrets and what really happened to his father, as well as becoming his own person, not a copy of his father.
The premise is unique and the writer’s style is enchanting. I loved the way in which everything tied in together, but the story remained believable. Lucas is a hilarious hero with a great voice. Jenny Valentine is a fantastic author, and Finding Violet Park is an immensely readable novel.
Genre: Young Adult
Recommended Age: 12+
Star Rating: Eight out of ten
In a word: Quirky
