Book Review no 1: Under The Influence by Jacqueline Lunn

When they meet at a Sydney boarding school as twelve year olds, Eve, Meg and Sarah have no idea that their lives will remain linked by a nasty secret they all share. Now in their early thirties and separated by geography and vastly different lifestyles, the story begins when Eve (who is living in London) hears the news of Meg’s death. Travelling back to outback New South Wales for the funeral and meeting up with Sarah again, the women soon realise their past can no longer be banished to the further recesses of their minds, but must be dealt with before they can move on with their lives.

I really liked the way the story wove easily between present and past, illustrating clearly the background of the three friends and what has driven them to become the women they are. The depiction of a girls’ boarding school in Sydney comes across very accurately as does the incessant bullying that Eve suffers at the hands of “it” girl Rebecca Thornton. Tied in with this is the theme of consensus by silence – if you stand by and watch someone be bullied are you just as guilty? Yet it also acknowledges how powerless teenagers can feel when confronted by it – at that age your own survival and acceptance can sometimes mean putting aside personal ethics just to fit in.

As well as getting the feel of Sydney spot on, the author also portrays country New South Wales fantastically, with the mention of several regional towns throughout the story, and the setting of Tallow, where Meg’s funeral is held. You can picture the small community easily – from the shops, to the pub to the town “doer”, who has her finger on the pulse of all that is happening in the community.

The pace of the story was good, with the suspense building towards the end and relatively short chapters keeping all the elements fresh in your mind. Each snippet of the past provides a further piece of the puzzle, which keeps you guessing right until the secret is revealed. As Eve is the main protagonist, you really come to understand her character more as the whole story unfolds but all the minor characters are well drawn also.

Overall a fantastic story, with fairly deep underlying themes that really made you think. I really enjoyed it and as the story built up momentum I couldn’t put it down. I look forward to Jacqueline Lunn’s next novel.