Review and Giveaway: Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar

10 April, 2012 Giveaways, Reviews 47 comments

My first inclination upon finishing Night Beach is to flood my review with several happy, dancing gifs.


Yeah, that will do.

That would be a helluva lot easier than trying to express why and how I loved this book so much.

However, allow me to give you some very valid reasons to read this book:

1. Eagar is an extremely promising Australian author.
2. This book is blurbed by Melina Marchetta for a reason.
3. I told you to.

Not everyone is going to completely get Night Beach.  Eagar’s style is both raw and brutal, showing no mercy.  Her characters, so real, tangible and lovingly created, are stripped bare for her audience.  Nothing is hidden or glossed over.  No emotion is withheld and no reality is too stark to express.

At first Abbie seems an unlikable character, but her self-awareness and patheticness lends her a touch of palatability.  But there is a depth and strength to Abbie that becomes increasingly evident as the book progresses.  At first you think Abbie’s obsession is like Call of Duty Nazi Zombies – endless and a little pointless but you can’t stop yourself.  But Abbie has so much growth, so much passion and so much heroism that she was almost addicting.

Kane was… Kane.  Kane was many young, stupid Australian boys that I’ve met and Eagar’s ability to capture the young, male Australian specimen for display here is almost a feat of genius.  I think the brilliance of Eagar’s writing for Night Beach is her ability to mirror a longing in the audience that is reminiscent of Abbie’s own feelings and obsession.  Those brief flashes of something worthwhile and lovable in Kane which are briefly littered through out the novel.  It keeps you hoping that maybe, just maybe he’ll be good enough for Abbie.  Maybe one day he’ll be all she wants and needs from him.

If I were to describe Eagar’s prose as ambitious and artistic, some readers may have horrifying Shatter Me flashbacks.  This is a different kind of ambitious and artistic.  Phoebe North, I believe, said it best in her review when she wrote:

“I believe that the onus is on the writer to earn our trust in their mastery over prose. I never was quite convinced that Mafi was the master here; her writing was just too imprecise, connoting all the wrong things (and clearly not intentionally) entirely too often.”

In other words: your language seems pretty but, on reflection, is stupid, painful and nonsensical.

This sentiment, and her entire review, I completely agree with.  Happily, it is not the case with Night Beach.  Eagar’s language is descriptive and powerful, but it is also precise and Eagar wields it with precision and great skill.  I wanted to find an example of Eagar’s skill and the tightness of her prose.  But her language is so understated and appropriate for the narrative that excerpts simply don’t do it as much justice.

The plot issues I had with [book:Raw Blue|6989576] were nonexistent here.  The book felt complete and entirely satisfactory in its ending.  What’s more is that it made sense and was true to the themes and the characters.

Perhaps the best part of all this?  Kirsty Eagar has joined with Melina Marchetta and they are both now my favouritest authors ever.  They both live in Sydney.  Guess where I live and what I’ll be doing now?

 

Giveaway

We’re very excited to announce that we will be giving away three paperback copies of Night Beach to three lucky winners in this week’s giveaway.  Read Eagar’s amazing new novel for yourself by entering your details in the draw below.

Contest Rules:

  • To enter, please fill out the Raffelcopter form below.
  • We ask that all entrants be at least 13 years or older to enter.
  • The giveaway is open to everyone, US and international!
  • When the winner is chosen, it will be announced here and the winner will be emailed. Please check your email because we are only giving the winner 48 hours to respond! Otherwise another winner will have to be selected.
    Please enter your email address in the Rafflecopter form and not the comments!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

47 Responses to “Review and Giveaway: Night Beach by Kirsty Eagar”

  4. joan

    wow! 5 stars? the book must be something then. Just entered the Giveaway. Hope I win. fingers crossed.

  6. Rosanne

    It looks great. If only know I would win a copy though I’m probably going to buy it anyway. 🙂

  7. Katie @ Blook Girl

    Wow. This book sounds really, really good Great review! I am already itching to read Night Beach. Thanks a lot, Kat – another book to add to my ever-growing book pile, haha 😉

    Thanks, also, for the giveaway! May the odds be ever in MY favor 😉

    PS: That first GIF really creeps me out, but I can’t stop looking at it!

  8. Bonnie

    I can’t wait to be able to read this! Your review makes me even more excited for it. And those gifs? Had me laughing my ass off. Thanks for the giveaway!!

  10. desiree1612

    I really want to read this and I’m not sure if it will be sold in the US so I really really really hope I win! Thanks for the giveaway!

  11. Keertana A.

    This year I find that I am discovering so many new Australian authors and they all seem to be one better than the other. This novel seems to be a truly fantastic read and I can’t wait to finally read it! Your review is amazing =D

  12. Shelley

    I’ve really been looking forward to reading this. Thanks for offering it as a giveaway!

  13. Rosa

    So that’s was one of the vaguest reviews you’ve ever written. I have very little idea what the book is about. But i usually want to read everything u like so I’ll be giving it a go!

  14. Kara

    Fangirling over 3 things: your review of course, the fact that I want to read this book so badly and that you are giving away more than one copy and I could possibly win (god I hope so), and you used a GIF from Big Brother US (Season 12), which, go ahead and make fun of me, is one of my favorite shows. You seriously are awesome!!

  15. Jessie

    #1. Purple Prose Cat wins the internet for the day.
    #2. This is an author I see bandied about a lot on GR – finally nice to see a review that backs up the hype!

  16. Sarah

    I saw Stephanie post about this on Pinterest and immediately came over to enter the giveaway! 🙂

  17. Lexie B.

    I really, really want this book. I feel like the way you described this, raw and painfully real, is something a lot of Australian authors seem to have mastered and the rest of the world should take note of. It’s why readers put them on such high pedestals.

    Honestly, though, I’d read this just for the prose. I thought Shatter Me’s language could be very pretty at times, but even I, an avid lover of flowery writing, got tired of it after a while. It’s so fantastic to find an author that can write powerfully without making it eye-roll-worthy.

  18. theladyreads

    This book sounds so good! Your post is the first time I’ve heard of it, but I’m so intrigued! Sounds awesome!
    Thanks for the giveaway! <3

  19. theladyreads

    This book sounds so good! Your post is the first time I’ve heard of it, but I’m so intrigued! Sounds awesome!
    Thanks for the giveaway! <3

  21. Fauzan

    Great review! I’ve heard so many good things about this book. And also her Raw Blue one, which I own. 😀

  22. joe

    gawwwd, i crave for this book. the urges to get my lil paws on this one are getting stronger and stronger, especially since NIGHT BEACH is playing hard to get! (problems ordering aussie books –arrggh!!!) :/

  24. Vorbis

    Any book loved this much by Kat AND Melina Marchetta is one I want my hands on =) Can’t wait to see it. Amanda

  25. Jasprit

    Brilliant review, I absolutely loved Eagar’s Raw Blue, so can’t wait to read this one. Thanks again for the international giveaway! 🙂

  27. Chachic

    Really looking forward to reading this one! Raw Blue was such a great contemporary novel. And MM’s blurb has made me more excited to check this out.

  28. isamlq

    Wonderful review! I’m a big fan of Raw Blue and would love to get my hands on Night Beach.

  30. Kasielle

    Looking forward to this one 😉 Thanks for the giveaway.

  32. Kelly Mills

    This book sounds awesome! I can’t wait to try this author, I’ve heard so many good things about her books!

  34. Kat Kennedy

    @Kara:

    I know! Big shout out to Penguin Books Australia who were very generous with providing them!

    @Lexie B.:

    Yeah, I don’t know why it is! Maybe because we’re consummate people watchers. Maybe we’re just weird that way. I definitely loved Eagar prose in this. To me they were very tight, very powerful, very raw.

  38. rosie haigh

    so so excited to read this book! thankyou for the giveaway!

  39. Lisa O.

    Awesome giveaway, I already pre-ordered it but one can never have enough Kirsty Eagar in the house.

  41. Ashleigh

    I’m lusting over this book so badly that it’s almost creepy. Almost! Seriously, this sounds like it’s right up my alley. Thank you for the giveaway!

  47. Cecilia

    You had me at “Melina Mar­che­tta blurbed it”. Can’t wait to buy this book!