The Impossible Story of Hannah Kemp

Hannah Kemp has carelessly, not deliberately, done something terrible, with catastrophic consequences causing pain to others and she imagines everyone in her small town knows and hates her. Hannah was adopted at four years of age by her mum, a school deputy principal and her father, an English teacher.

The ‘terrible thing’ Hannah did is not told to the reader immediately, but slowly details are revealed. Hannah has to go to therapy and is doing community service, by gardening for the woman she has wronged. Hannah and her mother clash often so Hannah’s reaction is to rebel by disobeying her parents and sneaking out at night. Her escape is reading, finding books and a new friend, Dylan, in the local bookstore.

One day while waiting for her mum, Hannah discovers a mobile library parked in the town and goes to investigate. She reads a book of short stories and discover they are true stories about people she knows, but the weird thing is they’re too current to have been written yet.

While the characters in the book such as Hannah’s peers and parents are real and believable, the librarian is an aberration. She is described as a ‘whale’ and seems to put barriers up to Hannah borrowing books and it is at this point that Agnew weaves an element of fantasy into a story of teenage angst and finding your place in the world. Hannah’s mother allows her birth mother, Jasmine, and a young boy named Max to move in secretly and their interactions bring back the repressed memories of a dysfunctional family pre-adoption.

As I was reading, I did wonder if Jasmine and Max were real or some sort of weird thought in Hannah’s head. Jasmine pressures Hannah to join them and escape her ‘horrible life’, leaving her with a major decision to make. The conclusion is dramatic, surprising, and Hannah is able to start moving on, accepting herself and her mistakes.

Many teens will identify with the teenage drama in this award-winning book; the narrative and pace make for a great read.