Drawing With Light by Julia Green

Review Copy: Bloomsbury. Published 1 March
From Amazon: Kat and Emily have grown up without their mother for almost as long as they can remember. And now Dad is with Cassy and they all muddle along together well enough - even though they are living in a cramped caravan while their new house is being renovated. Then Cassy and Dad tell them that Cassy is pregnant, and everything seems to shift. Emily feels a new urge to find her own mother. How could she have left them the way she did? Never writing to them? Not communicating with them? And as Emily begins her search, not knowing what she will find, she is at the same time embarking on a new relationship of her own, that of her romance with Seb. This is an evocative and finely drawn novel about family relationships, in particular that of mother and daughter, and the shifting emotions of a teenager trying to make sense of her family and her world.

This is the first Julia Green novel I have read and I really enjoyed it. She has a lovely writing style and I found myself gripped by Emily’s story. Many things happen in the course of the book but it is really about Emily and her journey to find out who she really is.

There were so many aspects that I loved. Being really interested in Photography I loved that Emily had a passion for this and that it played such a large part in the story. I loved her relationship with Seb - It was really sweet and touching and you could really see how he gave her the strength to do what she needed to do. I also just enjoyed watching Emily blossom from a young girl into a strong, independent adult. I found it all really engaging and told with wonderful insight.

My only quibble would be that there were a few things left unanswered that I really wanted to know. I felt that Emily’s journey was complete but would have loved that little bit extra to see what happened to the other characters. Otherwise this is a great novel. I have already ordered Breathing Underwater and can’t wait to read it.