Trouble

Non Pratt does an amazing job of presenting a character who isn’t particularly likable and making her more human at every turn. From the start, Hannah spends her weekends getting tarted up to get drunk, chat up boys in the park and have sex. Or that’s the picture that is painted. There’s no sudden reveal of a different life, but slowly things are put into place. It just highlights how easy we make presumptions about teenagers.

Hannah herself has a lot to answer for her reputation. It’s a mask she puts on at school, a place that is a minefield. The characters are all convincing, from the bitchiness and immaturity to the moments of kindness and comfort. They feel real. Hannah’s snarky but fragile narrative is full of humour and the sense of loneliness her situation lands her in.

I have been pondering how subjects I wouldn’t usually be drawn to become more appealing when told through young adult eyes. I’m not fond of reading about pregnancy, as a rule, but the story of a teen pregnancy is a world of difference to an adult with their own independence, whether the baby was planned or not.

The narrative switches between Hannah and Aaron so we get to see both sides of the story, although he does have plenty of things going on unrelated to Hannah, but they explain why he has offered such a big thing. He does seem a bit too good to be true, yet you can’t help but like him. He does offer out of a sense of guilt yet is a good person. I loved that Aaron is a friend more than a love interest. Yes girls and boys can get along without there being sex, or romance, involved.