Elizabeth Fensham

This novel was very different to most that I have read in many ways, and despite this I still found myself amazed at every word of it.
I first picked it up during a double period of English speeches that we were doing in the library. I’d already done my speech and was getting pretty bored, so I picked up this book of the ‘new books’ stand that was next to me and started reading. It took me under an hour to read, but it was well worth it.

The book is written in verse, which is something show more you don’t see very often, and it’s also written in first person. The main character is Anna, and the story is set in Australia (which is fantastic! I always love reading great books by Australian authors).
This review is going to be quite hard to write, seeing as it’s such a short novel that has one major twist that I really don’t want to give away – because it absolutely makes the novel.
Anyway, back to the ‘verse’. At first I found it a little hard to get into because the rhythm is something completely different to that which I’m used to, but after the first few pages I was able to get into it. So stick with it.

Just quickly, I was staring at the cover and isn’t it just haunting? It makes a bit more sense once you’ve read the book, but it’s really interesting if you just stare at it for a while.

Each ‘chapter’ (they’re only about a page or two long, so I wasn’t really sure whether chapter was the appropriate word choice) has a title, and I found that I had skipped these in the excitement of reading the book, so I went back over and read them again and found they were very clever – revealing a little of what was in each chapter without giving away too much.

As I mentioned before, there is one major twist in the novel (which I will not give away, under pain of death, because it is so gut wrenching) that really captured my attention and left me breathless afterwards. After this twist, I began to see the whole story in a different light.
You really have to read this book twice to full feel the impact of that plot twist. The novel isn’t that exciting the second time round, because it’s so short and you can pretty much remember everything that has happened. But once you’ve read it for the second time, you start to pick up on those subtle hints that lead up to the twist earlier on. It really is an amazing book.

The only thing I didn’t really like about the novel was the seemingly sudden revelation at the end of the novel that everything would be ‘ok’. The last line sort of implies that as soon as Anna talks about her ‘problem’ (I’m really trying not to give anything away here!!) everything just fixes itself, when in reality, it’s not that easy.

Still, this was a wonderful hard hitting and amazingly realistic novel that incorporates so many issues that teenagers (and even adults) may face. The novel does touch on some pretty sensitive issues, but Fensham handles them with tact and perfect poise. She has also mastered the art of writing in prose, and I cannot imagine this story any other way.

I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in a shorter book that touches on some more serious subjects without becoming boring. It’s also a fantastic way to experience a completely different writing style that I’m sure most people haven’t seen much of. I’m really looking forward to reading some of Elizabeth Fensham’s other novels, ‘Helicopter Man’ and “Miss McAllister’s Ghost’. show less

This book was not what I had expected it to be at all. It was written in diary form which was a great way to see the boy, Pete, perspective on the situation. Pete's father has schizphrenia, which he does not know or understand at first and his mother had to "go away." The boy is initially kept from the outside world and family because of his father's condition. Pete is put into foster care, and discovers what really happened to his mother.

The central theme of this book could be show more unconditional love. The reason that this would fit is because Pete loved his father before he knew of his illness, and was determined to help him and love him just as much after he found out he had schizophrenia. His love is very inspiring and teaches us to love one another regardless of the situation at hand. show less

It is very difficult to comment on Helicopter Man without saying too much and giving the entire story away. This is not a book to be judged on its blurb. Nobody can reveal what this novel is really about without spoiling the story for anybody who hasn’t read it. As such, there is really only one way of deciding whether you should read this book: to read it.

The sudden switch between two different plot lines can make this book a little slow in the beginning, and a little dull. This is not show more helped by the fact that this book is in the form of a diary with an entry every day, and so to show time passing by, Fensham must make readers wade through pages of nothing much happening. She hasn’t completely failed to make this book interesting, however, and instead has filled time with memories of Pete’s previous life, when his mother was alive and he wasn’t constantly on the run. At times, though, it can feel like the story isn’t going anywhere, and significant plot developments come not often enough to keep a reader engaged.

In its latter half, Helicopter Man answers questions we have all asked ourselves of children in trouble at some stage. Why won’t they let the authorities help them? Why do they keep lying? Do they really understand the situation they are in? Fensham’s perceptive explanations of these situations from the point of view of a child make her book a thought-provoking read, and show that there is really more to most problems than meets the eye.

Another thing that is commendable about Helicopter Man is the ending. In situations like the one presented in this book, when ‘happily ever after’ endings are unrealistic and not appropriate, it can be hard to resolve the plot without shattering the realism of the novel. Fensham, however, has done this very well, showing us the light at the end of the tunnel that we know Pete will someday reach, and helping him to solve some mysteries and triumph over some obstacles.

Helicopter Man is quite different from other novels, and is likely to be highly commended by some people, but it is not a book that I would read again for fun. To me, it is the kind of ‘interesting’ read that is good the first time, but would probably lose its value the second time. Recommended for people who don’t mind a slow, sedate read. show less

This novel opens with a boy called Vic sending a postcard to his mate Pete, wondering where he is. We then see Pete and his Dad hiding in someone’s garden shed as they run from “them”- the people who fly the helicopters who are out to take his Dad away, just like they took his Mum. Or did they? Is it all in his Dad’s mind? Heartbreaking novel based on the author's own experience of having to tell a child his father has schizophrenia.