Melina Marchetta; The books that hurt

Melina Marchetta is one of my favourite authors. I very rarely single out an author, but I'm so impressed with Marchetta's work from her contemporary books to her fantasy reads.

Let's first look at all the awesome books Melina has written. 

* click on the covers to be redirected to Goodreads. 

Of all the books here, there are only two I haven't read: Looking for Alibrandi, which I'll be searching for soon, and Quintana of Charyn, which is probably one of my most awaited books ever. I'm currently reading The Piper's Son. As you can see, Marchetta is a very well established author who has branched out, successfully, to different genres. 

Why she is awesome

Melina Marchetta has this talent of making me connect to her characters. I've spent several days in dark moods when reading of her characters' suffering. It's strange; somehow, some authors are just able to write stories that speak to you. Melina Marchetta is like that. Her stories are different from what I read. It's pretty well known by now that I don't consider myself very into contemporary, but somehow that doesn't stop me from loving her books.

Her books all feature pain. Sometimes crushing pain, but often the pain that lingers. That keeps punishing, one blow at a time. It can be the pain that comes from a broken family; the pain that comes from loss; the pain that comes from duty. It's there though, and the way it's written is incredible. 

Melina Marchetta has a very distinct writing style. Her books are not meant to be fun or easy reads. You need to think. Sometimes I need to reread and remember some important details. The writing jumps around a lot. There are flashbacks and scene changes. There are scenes that make me want to cry because the world is just so awful, and within the sadness there are these completely ordinary moments that are like epiphanies. Like, gee, life can suck sometimes, but there's this: laughing with your friends even when you're not happy. The ridiculous things your sisters say. The people that care about you, always there. These little moments of sunshine and it's borderline insane because I eat it all up. 

It's even the same in her fantasy novels. They're so dark, but completely engrossing. The characterization is so fantastic. I can clearly imagine every one of her characters as people. They're real to me and I think that's an awesome power for an author like her to have. It's also terrifying because for some reason, I'm always extra empathetic towards her characters and it's hard to feel that much hurt. 

As an author, she impresses me. While her books do hurt, they're also journeys. They make me feel like I'm growing up and learning something. They're worth it. 

I know everyone has this type of author. Someone who's stories you know you will always read because their writing speaks to you. Melina Marchetta is mine. Who's yours?

-P.E.