Review: Impressive debut
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2014
Kylie Kaden's compelling debut novel, Losing Kate, is an absorbing contemporary story of secrets, betrayal, love and redemption.On the night that seventeen year old Kate disappeared while celebrating 'schoolies', Francesca lost both the best friend she adored and the boy, Jack, who held her heart.Thirteen years later, Frankie is stunned to discover Jack has bought the vacant block of land bordering her cottage. Their unexpected reunion revives memories and emotions neither are prepared for, and to move forward they need to learn the truth about what happened to the girl they both loved.The first person narrative shifts between the past and present as it traces Jack, Kate's and Frankie's teenage relationship, the events on the night Kate went missing, and Frankie's and Jack's reunion after 13 years. Though Frankie and Jack quickly reestablish the intimacy of their childhood friendship, Kate always stands between them. Guilt, regret and lies are irredeemably tangled with loyalty, truth and love. The situation is complicated further by Jack's current relationship.The mystery of Kate's fate is what primarily drives the tension throughout the novel. The flashbacks slowly reveal what Frankie remembers of the night and how those memories fit with what she is learning in the present day. Frankie just can't let go of Kate and her desire for closure. Suspicions rise and fall as the truth is pieced together, and the swirling ambiguity kept me guessing.Despite the pop culture references (to bands like Powder Finger), elements of the story, including the oppressive summer weather, Francesca's crumbling cottage, fire and illness, give the story a contemporary gothic feel. The doomed teenage romance between Kate and Jack also plays into this, as does Frankie and Jack's unrequited love.Set amongst the streets of suburban Queensland, Losing Kate is a gripping novel of suspense, drama and romance. An impressive debut, I really enjoyed Losing Kate and I'm looking forward to more from Kylie Kaden.