The Winds of Heaven

Clementine loves her cousin, Fan, who is a year older than her. When she goes to visit, the two girls become gindaymaidhaany – meaning ‘sisters’ in Aboriginal. Fan is vivacious, beautiful and kind, but Clementine feels she is always seeking something – something undefinable, perhaps even unattainable. Clementine loves Fan, but Fan lives far away and visits are rare. As the two girls grow up, they drift apart. At eighteen, Fan is married with two children and Clementine is on her way to university. Clementine is concerned for Fan – her life is one of unfulfilled promise – but still she finds it hard to get in touch. Then suddenly tragedy strikes and the girls are separated for ever.

Written for young adults, this book deals with serious and important issues such as teenage pregnancy, depression and suicide. It is beautifully written – at times poetic – especially in its evocation of small-town Australia, which is described over ten years from 1952 to 1962. The characters’ memories from this period are described neatly sandwiched between a prologue and epilogue set in the present (2009). This book is part of a new and expanding genre that deals not only with the problems of growing up but also with other important issues such as death, and includes Before I Die by Jenny Downham and The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. The Winds of Heaven can not provide a happy ending, but it is a beautiful book that encourages thought and understanding.