Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Title: Graffiti Moon
Author: Cath Crowley
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Buy: The Book Depository

Mum says when wanting collides with getting, that’s the moment of truth.

I want to collide. 

A part of me knew I would love this book. The other part approached Graffiti Moon with a certain amount of trepidation. After all the gushing reviews and countless recommendations, I felt my expectations were perhaps too high – high enough to result in disappointment. 

I’m pleased to say it didn’t come to that. I wasn't left disappointed at all.

There is just something so mesmerizing about Cath Crowley’s writing. The way she manages to stretch what feels like weeks over a single night is remarkable. I wish I knew how to describe her writing style, but I find myself fumbling for words that don’t quite exist yet. It’s something that can only truly be appreciated when encountered, which is why I regret having waited so long to read this story. The text resonates with several different emotions, making this book one that you can laugh and cry along to simultaneously. I know I did both.

I adored the characters in this. I loved how the relationships blossomed between them so instantly, but felt so natural, like they had always meant to become a band of friends. There is Shadow, the graffiti artist whose actual name is Ed, and his friend Poet, a wielder of words. Dylan, boy number three, and the girlfriend he threw eggs at, Daisy. And then there is the Jazz Lady, also known as Jazz, and her best friend Lucy. Lucy wants nothing more than to collide. She wants nothing more than to collide right into Shadow.

I’m starting to think there might be something special in the water down under. Cath Crowley crafted a beautiful set of characters and I adored the bizarre friendship that spurned between them all after a night in Melbourne, riding along in a pink van. I loved how natural it felt for me to root for them, to root for Dylan and Daisy, Leo and Jazz, and Ed and Lucy all at once. I would happily read about them all again, to hear about the time when Ed grabbed Lucy’s arse and the time Lucy punched Ed in the nose. I miss them already.

And one other thing I feel I must mention is Poet’s poem The Daytime Things. I’ve never really been one for poems, but this one stood out to me considerably more than his others. I wish I could frame it and hang it somewhere. It’s definitely one to look out for while reading this book.

Graffiti Moon proved to be a beautiful read and a lot more significant than the book description conveys. I adored the writing, I adored the characters, and I even adored the fact that this was a true contemporary tale. My mission now is to read as many of Cath Crowley’s other books as I can.

Rating: 4.5 stars