The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta

When I finished The Piper's Son, the first thing I thought was, whoa. The second thing I thought was, I want to write like Melina Marchetta. And the third? Well, I thought, that's definitely 5 out of 5 stars.

The Piper's Son by Melina Marchetta
5 out of 5 stars!
Published 3.08.11
Summary from Goodreads: The award-winning author of Finnikin of the Rock and Jellicoe Road pens a raw, compelling novel about a family’s hard-won healing on the other side of trauma.

Award-winning author Melina Marchetta reopens the story of the group of friends from her acclaimed novel Saving Francesca - but five years have passed, and now it’s Thomas Mackee who needs saving. After his favorite uncle was blown to bits on his way to work in a foreign city, Tom watched his family implode. He quit school and turned his back on his music and everyone that mattered, including the girl he can’t forget. Shooting for oblivion, he’s hit rock bottom, forced to live with his single, pregnant aunt, work at the Union pub with his former friends, and reckon with his grieving, alcoholic father. Tom’s in no shape to mend what’s broken. But what if no one else is either? An unflinching look at family, forgiveness, and the fierce inner workings of love and friendship, The Piper’s Son redefines what it means to go home again.

Throughout The Piper's Son, I just wanted to rip through the book and just finish it. But with Melina Marchetta, that's not possible. You have to savor every word and phrase that she writes. You have to read and reread some parts to truly grasp it. But that's the best type of writing. Writing that makes you cry, laugh and feel is what Melina Marchetta does best. And I love it.

Tom's story made me cry. I cried reading this story of a broken boy being put back together again, piece by piece, shard by shard. I cried when he finally became Tom again. I cried because be became stronger, braver, happier and better.
The Piper's Son is also about Tom's aunt, Georgie. In the beginning she's a single, pregnant woman who's mad at the world, or rather, her family. Yet throughout the novel, she develops. She eventually understands her family and herself, maybe even forgiving them.
Melina's not afraid to write about messed up, lifeless, real characters. She's not afraid to show readers the true situations and deep despairs of life. She creates characters you can relate to.
In The Piper's Son, Melina Marchetta brings back characters from Saving Francesca, like Justine, Siobhan, Will and Tara. She also adds new characters, like Ned and Mohsin the Ignorer. They're all great characters though, new and old.

Unlike Saving Francesca, The Piper's Son is a third-person novel. It alternates between the views of Georgie and Tom. But it's just as effective as a first-person version would be, probably even more.

Overall: Love is not a strong enough word to describe this book. You need phrases like blows you away, sweeps you off your feet and powerful. The Piper's Son is not merely a book; it's a masterpiece.