Jamie is busy!
He is stoked that he has got the part as Donkey in the Shrek Musical at School, but deep down he would have preferred to be playing Shrek. That would mean he would be closer to Frankie (Francesca) who he has had a crush on for a while now.
At home, Jamie is working on a musical about a time vampire called Billy Raven. His mind is always spinning with ideas and he finds it hard to wind down to sleep. He often gets up again and then wakes his mum when he bursts into song on the piano in the early hours of the morning.
His outbursts in class get him in trouble there too, and having detention at lunchtime mucks up his schedule and singing lessons. On top of this he’s accepted a challenge by his English teacher to write a story of Orwell’s 1984 meshed with a zombie apocalypse, and he’s enjoying it so far.
He gets to spend more time with Frankie at the Shrek rehearsals and they begin to hit it off. The only problem being that Frankie’s boyfriend is a lot bigger than Jamie and also a friend. Things are not only going to get busier for Jamie but a whole lot messier too.
But he takes it all in his stride – at least that’s what he thinks he’s doing. But he’s sleeping less, doing more, drinking more coffee and Coke, making crazy decisions, and wondering if his Uncle Anders really did visit him when he and his friends conducted a Séance for fun.
Jamie’s mind is going faster, and he’s loving the creativity and spin from everything, until it becomes… just… too… much…
From the very first pages, I was caught up in the manic pace of Jamie’s life and mind as he tells his story in first person. He’s very likeable, funny, clever, sweet, and chaotic. He’s incredibly creative, but also his own worst enemy and I could almost feel his racing heart with all the Coke and coffee he consumes.
Revelation of mental health problems in his family concern Jamie, but he doesn’t ask his mum about it, who is already at her wits end with his erratic behaviour. But his spiral downwards is so gradual, his friends and family almost don’t catch him in time. He is the most surprised by his fall out of anyone, after denying there was anything wrong over the past few months. This is almost painful to read as I watched his self destruction.
Exams, the musical, his new relationship with Frankie. It was all supposed to be a bit crazy, wasn’t it? His denial made everything even more real on the page.
Catch a Falling Star is the Prequel to Catch me When You Fall, which I will be seeking out soon. It is the only Eileen Merriman YA novel I haven’t read and I’m really looking forward to following Jamie’s story.
Merriman’s skill in drawing me in never wanes. Her writing is so skillful, precise, and authentic, with engaging characters and narratives – every novel is a pure treat.
(This novel has been approved by two specialists of mental health in young people)
Author – Eileen Merriman
Age – 15+
Read more reviews of Eileen Merriman Novels HERE
2023, Penguin NZ, Mental Health, Bipolar, Treatment, Relationships, Friendships, Singing, Shrek, Musical, Phantom of the Opera, Manic, Depression, High highs, Terrible lows, School, English, Exams, Taking risks, Erratic Behaviour, Family Secret, Seance, NZ Author, Award Winning Author, New Zealand, Aotearoa, High School, Music, Growing Up)