Wednesday 21 June 2023

Book Review: Inkflower by Suzy Zail

 Inkflower

by

Suzy Zail

I think there is no better day than Global MND Day to post my review of Inkflower
 
Publisher: Walker Books
 
Publication date: 5th July 2023
 
Genre: Young Adult / Historical Fiction
 
Pages: 384
 
RRP: $22.99AU (paperback)
 
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

My review of Inkflower

Fifteen year old Lisa's father has Motor Neurone Disease and only six months to live. He gathers the family together to tell them the story of his childhood. A story of a young boy who fought against all odds to survive.
 
Lisa battles with the idea of this new version of her father; a dying man with a devastating childhood. His stories bring to life the grandparents, aunts and uncles she never had the chance to meet.
 
Inkflower unfolds in a dual time-line narration. The now, set in the 1980's, is narrated by Lisa as she navigates school and friendships whilst coming to grips with her father's illness and also who she is. The then, is narrated by Lisa's father Emil as he tells his family the harrowing story of a young boy bullied at school for being Jewish, taken from his home in Czechoslovakia and the horrors of his years in Auschwitz.
 
The balance and parallels between Emil's years of fighting for survival in Auschwitz and his battle against the debilitating effects of MND were astutely portrayed.
 
Inkflower is a deeply moving story of survival inspired by the true events of the author and her family.
Suzy Zail has written an honest and candid story of love, courage, family and resilience.
There can never be too many stories detailing the horrors of Auschwitz and they need to be recorded now because soon there won't be any survivors left.
 
My rating 5 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 
Publisher's recommended age: 14+

About the author

Suzy Zail has worked as a litigation lawyer, specialising in family law, but now writes full time. Among other titles, she has written The Tattooed Flower, a memoir about her father's time as a child survivor of the holocaust, the story which inspired this novel. Her first novel for young adults, the Wrong Boy, was short listed for the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, the Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature, the WAYRBA, USBBY and YABBA awards. 
You can visit Suzy online at suzyzail.com.au and on Instagram @authorsuzyzail
 

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