Anna Morgan, All That Impossible Space

On Tuesday, 2 July, over 100 people braved a chilly Melbourne night to attend the launch of Melbourne-author Anna Morgan’s new book All That Impossible Space at the Brunswick Street Bookstore in Fitzroy. Anna is also a bookseller at the store and owner Stephen Hepburn commenced proceedings with a glowing summary of Anna’s passion for reading, bookselling and – of course – writing. After a reading by Anna, attendees jostled for cake, cheese, wine and autographed copies.

The primary audience of All That Impossible Space is young adults, but the novel will transport all readers back to secondary school from the opening scene: two friends enjoying the last golden afternoon of the summer holidays.

The plot centres around Lara Laylor, a Year Ten student struggling with the usual secondary school challenges – theatre practice, a new love interest – and some unusual ones: an absent (and self-absorbed) older sister and an engaging new teacher, Mr Grant. After assigning Lara, her friend Ashley, and new girl Kate an assignment about the Somerton Man, Mr Grant abruptly disappears. The story of the Somerton Man – a real-life unsolved mystery about an unidentified man found dead on Adelaide’s Somerton Beach in 1948 – makes up another thread to the novel. The fictionalised flashbacks to the investigation are fantastic – I suspect every reader will be inspired to do their own research when they finish the book. Lara becomes obsessed with finding out why Mr Grant left, and her research begins to mirror the information she learns about the Somerton Man.

A less deft author may have struggled to maintain coherency, but Morgan balances the plot lines beautifully and rather than being overwhelming, All That Impossible Space is a believable jaunt into the mind and experiences of a teenage girl navigating the complex dynamics of secondary school.

You will cringe as Lara’s long-time “BFF” Ashley repeatedly undermines Lara’s self-esteem (their relationship is the epitome of a  toxic friendship), but you will cheer as Kate encourages Lara to find her own voice and place. Many young adult novels suffer from authors shoehorning in ‘youthful’ references (cue clunky references to social media and boy bands). All That Impossible Space suffers no such issues: Morgan’s depiction of the exclusive St Margaret’s is authentic and the world-class facilities, smattering of obnoxious students and complex social politics are immersive without being stereotypical.

The realism of Lara’s world, and her gradual and believable character development, are the shining stars of All That Impossible Space; every detail works seamlessly to create a vivid picture of not just Lara’s life, but also the mystery of the Somerton Man.

Are you looking for a new read for your commute to work? Then look no further than All That Impossible Space, available at all bookshops (RRP $19.99) or as an ebook (RRP $11.99).

All That Impossible Space
Written by Anna Morgan
Twitter
annalauramorgan.com

Picture: Sister Scout Studio