For the reader, the use of first person and present tense gives a deep and immediate insight into the responses of Jenna’s loved ones, whilst the use of third person and past tense for Jenna’s part of the story keeps her, rather aptly, at arms length.Īs in her previous YA work, Farnham’s Spin deals with some difficult topics, delving deeply into some complex emotional and mental health issues as Jenna’s story unfolds. I particularly like the way Farnham employs contrasting narratives and tenses as the story moves between the past and the present.

This jigsaw-building structure is complex but expertly crafted by Farnham, who uses this format to reveal the story gradually, weaving the details of Jenna’s life in the months before her disappearance in amongst the pain and confusion of her family and friends in the aftermath. The mystery of Jenna Kemp’s disappearance and whereabouts is pieced together in a narrative which moves between past and present, and between several different characters’ points of view. Spin is a pacey, edgy read which immediately grabbed me a compulsive page-turner which kept me up way past my bedtime on the several nights it took me to read it. After reading and enjoying all of Farnham’s previous works, including her last YA novel Don’t Call Me Kit Kat, I was really looking forward to getting stuck into my copy of Spin, and I definitely was not disappointed. Farnham’s latest novel is a young adult story with a mystery at its heart. Will Jenna’s final diary entry reveal the greatest mystery of all–her whereabouts? As they sift through a series of her personal diaries, the truth becomes terrifying. Jenna’s mysterious disappearance proves that there’s more on the line than they realized.

After distancing herself from her friends and befriending an outcast, her friends and family start questioning and judging her choices.īut when Jenna doesn’t come home one night, her friends and family realize it’s more than just adolescent rebellion. But when the demons from Jenna’s childhood resurface, she’s suddenly spinning out of control–drinking, partying–anything to numb the pain of the past. Sixteen-year-old Jenna Kemp is a typical high school girl, complete with a loyal group of friends and a seemingly understanding boyfriend.

Avelynn by Marissa Campbell