SuitabookTRASH
Sharon Darrow
- Reading
- The poems use varied forms, and some readers may find the story jumps around. Consider reading a few poems at a time, pausing to talk through images or shifts in voice together.
- Themes
- Unstable care and belonging: Sissy and Boy face repeated placements, periods without shelter and separation from their older sister as they seek a place to belong. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Identity and graffiti: After reuniting with Raynell, Sissy and Boy rename themselves and join children who paint their names on public spaces at night. Graffiti is part of their attempt at self-invention; whether the story endorses or criticises their actions is not established.
- Worth knowing
- The story includes parental abandonment, repeated foster placements, homelessness, ostracism at school, abuse by carers and a tragic death. Its overall tone is described as bleak.