Faraway Girl

Etta, a modern New Zealand teen, is worried about her brother, Jamie. A mysterious illness makes him weaker by the day. At breakfast that morning, Jamie says “I think I can see a ghost.” There’s a girl on a window seat, wearing a wedding dress. This is Constance: not a ghost, but a sixteen-year-old girl from England in 1869. She is confused and awed facing the world of 2019, but soon her and Etta are flung back to the very different 1869 England. Etta and Constance time travel between their two worlds, trying to figure out how Jamie’s sickness is linked to a mysterious and cursed painting.

The world of this book felt real and vivid, especially the parts in 1869. Constance’s parents were dislikable and controlling, while her fiancé was cruel, manipulative, and misogynistic. It was extremely different from Etta’s modern time, especially the social constraints and limited roles of women. The time travelling element was also fresh and mostly enjoyable. Unlike other books, Etta and Constance didn’t keep their time travel secret. They shared their story to the world and utilized social media to try and solve the mystery of the painting. However, Etta’s family and friends all took time travel very calmly. Even when Etta and Constance travel back to 1869, no one there was shocked at their time travel. The fact that no one was surprised felt unrealistic, but didn’t massively detract from the story.

The friendship between Etta and Constance, both strong female characters, is the best part of the book for me. Etta is fierce, independent and gutsy, while Constance is timid and more uncertain. Through her friendship with Etta, she becomes more ready to stand up for herself and others. Constance’s character arc and development made her my favorite character.

The third person omniscient narration shows both Etta and Constance’s perspectives. It changes between paragraphs or even sentences, which can be slightly confusing. Overall, it creates a sometimes entertaining, sometimes intense effect as you can see how Etta and Constance react to a situation or choice. The narration of the book was written in both of their voices. This sometimes felt too clumsy or forced, but most of the time the narration was entertaining or fit the character well. For example, Etta’s shocked reaction to England in 1869 and her anger at how Constance was treated by her parents and fiancé, or when Constance first saw jeans and called them ‘inexpressibles’.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book. It had an entertaining plot with lots of twists and surprises at the end, and a strong friendship between two great characters. It is best for younger teenage readers, so I recommend this if you are 11+ and enjoy strong female characters, time travelling, and/or mystery. If you have read and enjoyed Fleur Beale before, read this!

- Beth is 14 and lives in Dunedin.