Review of Dear Dylan by Siobhan Curham

'Dear Dylan' by Siobhan Curham

 

Pub Egmont Electric Monkey March 2012

 

 

 

Georgie Harris has had a hard time- her dad died in a motorcycle accident, then her mum re-married to 'Tone Deaf', or Tony. Although she loves her little step-sister, Michaela, and she still has her mum, Tony ruins it. He's stringent and openly favouritises Michaela, horrid to Georgie no matter how many cups of tea she makes him, while her mum cowers from his moods. The story starts when Georgie sends an e-mail to Dylan Curtland, a celebrity from her favourite soap who she confesses, in the first e-mail, that she loves him. He replies (if only briefly,) and she excitedly sends back paragraphs and paragraphs, feeling that she has a secret friend and an escape from her mess.

 

Then, after six e-mails of his emphatic consolations, she receives a lengthly explanation of how it wasn't Dylan...

 

It was his mum.

 

I loved reading 'Dear Dylan', because it was the only book that I've read that actually was funny and sad at the same time. It also made you curious about what would happen next, like where it was his mum replying- how else would the 252 pages continue? It turned out that after Georgie's hurt shock subsided, she realised she liked e-mailing Nan (short for Nancy,) and vice versa. They helped each other cope in an unique way and told each other about their problems; some were major that risked Georgie's safety, and some were minor predicaments that kept you interested about how it would turn out... like Jamie becoming her boyfriend, and losing the increasingly malicious Jessica as a friend while Nancy learnt to cope with the death of her husband, Bruce. Tempting, incredible, with intense situations mixed with normal teenage girl problems- a great contrast that makes it a really addictive read.

 

By Abi Pearce, 13