Book Review: The Changing Room by Belinda Cranston

 The Changing Room

by

Belinda Cranston

Publisher: Transit Lounge

Publication date: 1st May 2024

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 240

RRP: $32.99AU (trade paperback)

Source: Courtesy of the publisher via Quikmark Media

 

Review: The Changing Room

The Changing Room is set during the 1990's and follows Rachel, a young Australian girl, on her journey from London to Egypt and Israel as a backpacker.

 

The story reads a lot like a travel journal narrated by Rachel as she spends time in London then traveling to Egypt and on to Israel spending time living on a kibbutz in the Negev Desert. Rachel has a kind heart but she suffers from anxiety so it stops her from seeing the wonder in the world rather noticing the grime noise and people trying to rip her off.

 

Lots of mentions of events and news from the 90's sets the plot firmly in the era and gives the book a nostalgic element.

 

The story was a bit choppy as it jumps from present day to Rachel's childhood. The blurb mentions a cartoon about a man in a changing room that had a big impact on Rachel however this only gets a couple of brief mentions in the story. I would have liked this explained more.

 

I enjoyed this story with themes of suppressed memory and mental illness and I learnt that Jerusalem Syndrome is a real thing (who would have thought!).

 

The Changing Room is a story that is not black and white but lets the reader draw their own conclusions about 'the story past the story'.

 

My rating 3 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐