A heartfelt and heartrending tale of the impacts of economic disparity and the forces that drive those unseen to come into the light, or stay hidden forever.
Feature image credit: UQP
Australia has always been seen as a country of extremes, but this generally applies to the climate and conditions of the land. First-time author and long-time journalist Kirsty Jagger has produced a powerful novel that details and documents one of Australia’s most damaging extremes: economic disparity.
In her debut novel, Roseghetto, Jagger guides through the early years, teen angst, and developmental impact of life in the impoverished home of Shayla. Shayla first appears to us years on from the tale she is about to tell, returning to the “scene of the crime” to find it gone, erased by development but still vivid in her memory.
We wander back to the early days of her single-mother-supported childhood and begin a rollercoaster emotional journey of highs and lows, into which we are intertwined with the peripheral tales of other lost souls — including her own mother.
Roseghetto takes place over more than a decade, during which time we witness the growth and development of Shayla, as well as the withering and self-doubt, all of which leads to the climax of the tale and her decision to create a record of her life.
Jagger has written a detailed account of Shayla’s life on what is truly a carefully crafted canvas. The voice of Shayla, from the very beginning, is born of a maturity that has burgeoned from a necessity to survive. The details which stand out, from the outset, sit like anchors that tether Shayla to these moments.
It is these details that provide a balanced nuance and beauty to this novel — the specificity of the designs of her mother’s collection of rock ‘n’ roll T-shirts, the songs that she recalls playing on days that align with varied events, and, most importantly, the ever-maturing catalogue of novels Shayla reads, to not only escape, but to guide her onward to find her calling.
Roseghetto, for this reviewer, sits alongside the works of Douglas Stuart (Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo) and Craig Silvey (Jasper Jones and Honeybee). The depth of character is so genuine, one could be forgiven for thinking this is an autobiography, not fiction. In truth it is both, for this is the essence of Kirsty Jagger’s own journey.
It is by no means an “easy read,” but it is also not one without light and shade, and that is what makes it such a worthwhile journey — to paraphrase Maroon 5, emotionally, no one “moves like Jagger.”
Reviewed by Glen Christie
The views expressed in this review belong to the author and not Glam Adelaide, its affiliates, or employees.
Distributed by: UQP
Released: July 2023
RRP: $32.99
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