erasing clouds
 

Jemma Kennedy, Skywalking

book review by Anna Battista

Don't try to deny that when you were kids you loved the Star Wars saga, had hundreds of memorabilia of the movie and played at being Luke Skywalker on board of his X-Wing fighter even when you were sitting on the toilet. You're warned, nobody would believe you. And don't you even try to deny that you still love Star Wars now that you've grown up. You see, Star Wars is like a beautiful illness that has the power to transport you to another world, a parallel universe where fantasy becomes reality.

In Jemma Kennedy's debut novel, Skywalking, Star Wars is not only the source of an insane mania, but also the force that creates the story. Ted, a skint journalist, wakes up to find a dead rat in his kitchen. Shocked by this event, he calls his friend Lovell, whom he used to admire when he was younger (and still does). But when Lovell arrives, he takes with him Kiddie, his Star Wars-crazed nephew who speaks in what is defined Yoda talk and looks somehow lost in a world of his own. Kiddie, mesmerised by his fantasy, runs away following Sara, a shop girl, thinking that she's Princess Leia looking for Luke.

The plot, which develops in one and only day but contains enough episodes to turn the novel into a page turner, also involves a "pop philosopher" with a not-that-bad theory and a friend of Sara, considered by Kiddie a sort of Chewbacca. Jemma Kennedy's novel, written in an intriguing style that allows each character to find his or her own voice and talk, is not dedicated only to the Star Wars fans, it's for everyone and in particular for those of you who want to step into a fantasy world which is at the same time trapped into reality. Ready to jump into a galaxy far away and skywalkwith Jemma Kennedy?

{www.penguin.com}

Issue 10, July 2002 |


this month's issue
archive
about erasing clouds
links
contact
     

Copyright (c) 2005 erasing clouds