I Had Such Friends

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

So, then it happened. Peter Bridges pulled into the bus bay. Youre not allowed to do that. Peter was in my year but I hardly ever saw him at school. He was on the football team, though he had almost been kicked off more times than I could count, for fighting and not showing up to training. His car was the cheapest-looking Toyota Corolla I had ever seen in my life. Hey Hamish, he said, and I couldnt for the life of me work out how it was that he could possibly know my name. Want a ride home When Charlie Parker dies it affects everyone who knew him. Everyone, that is, except for Hamish Day, the boy with only one friend, who lives on a cabbage farm. After a tragic car accident leaves his school in grief, Hamish finds himself pulled into the lives of the people left behind. He tries his best to thread them back together again, even though he is pretty sure hes the least qualified person for the job. With hard-hitting themes of unrequited love, sexuality, bullying, death and suicide, readers will take part in a poignant story about self-discovery, grief and the tragic power of silence. A gripping look at adolescent pain with a narrative maturity that accurately reflects its YA milieu, I Had Such Friends pushes us to reflect on our own sliding doors moment. Who are you to someone else, and what part do you play in his or her story

Author Bio

Meg Gatland-Veness is a powerful emerging voice for young Australians. Born in a tiny, country town called Milton, she grew up on the Central Coast before going to the University of Newcastle to study a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in English and Drama, as well as a Bachelor of Secondary Teaching. Writing stories for as long as she can remember and reading them for even longer, Meg always carries a notebook with her in case inspiration strikes or she encounters a beautiful new word. Equally heartfelt is her passion for championing local youths and promoting important conversations about themes like love, sexuality, bullying, suicide, grief and trauma. Inspired not only by her career as a high school teacher in both Australia and London, but also her own personal school experiences, Meg wrote I Had Such Friends, a poignant and important YA debut about self-discovery, grief and the tragic power of silence in rural Australia. Her writing urges readers to notice the gaps in anothers words and question the parts we play in somebody elses story. Meg is a high school Drama teacher living on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Other than writing novels, she channels her unending creativity into choreographing and directing musicals, writing poetry, singing and ballet, as well as playing tennis, volleyball and soccer.