SuitabookGoodbye Jamie Boyd
Elizabeth Fensham
- Reading
- Read alongside the child if the uncertainty feels intense, pausing to separate what Anna experiences from what the reader can know. Afterwards, discuss how the book presents mental illness and whether that portrayal feels clear or limited.
- Themes
- Reality and uncertainty: Anna’s exchanges with Jamie support several possible explanations for who or what Jamie is, including a real person, imaginary friend, ghost or manifestation of mental illness. The uncertainty appears deliberate and is presented as connected with the experience of struggling to distinguish reality from unreality.
- Mental illness: Schizophrenia is described as a central theme, expressed through uncertainty about reality and the relationship between Anna and Jamie. The book?s stance on this remains unclear.
- Family, adolescence and grief: The book is catalogued with family, siblings, adolescence or coming of age, and death or grief themes. These subjects indicate areas the story may engage with, but they do not establish particular events, relationships or attitudes.
- Worth knowing
- Expect suspense and potentially disturbing implications around Jamie’s identity and mental illness. Family, adolescence, death and grief are also identified themes, but the extent and detail of those elements are not clear.