LoveReading Says
LoveReading Says
Endearingly authentic, Ro Snow is a character who stirs tenderness, empathy and much urging to survive and thrive. As a result of mum Bonnie’s extreme hoarding habit (every room of their house is a mountain of paper and pointless Amazon purchases), Ro has isolated herself, fearing that if anyone saw the squalor she and Bonnie live in, Social Services would intervene. Ro’s self-centered, insensitive dad has a new family and is no use whatsoever, which means she and Bonnie have reversed roles, with Ro keeping an eye on their bank balance while Bonnie shops and watches TV by day and earns a living as a singer by night.
As this role reversal takes its toll on Ro, a fairy godmother materialises in the form of irrepressibly energetic Tanvi, who’s recently returned to school after being treated for cancer. There’s a truly uplifting, tear-jerking moment when Ro experiences the pure joy of people really believing in her, but Bonnie’s road to recovery won’t be a smooth ride.
Highly readable, realistic and wholesomely heartfelt, this confirms Lisa Williamson as a YA author of remarkable empathy.
Read about the story behind Paper Avalanche in our author Q&A.
Joanne Owen
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Paper Avalanche Synopsis
Bonnie. Never Mum or Mummy or Mother. Just Bonnie... When it comes to flying under the radar, Ro Snow is an expert. No friends. No boys. No parties. And strictly NO VISITORS. It may be lonely, but at least this way the truth remains where it should - hidden. Then Tanvi Shah, the girl who almost died, comes tumbling back into her life, and Ro finds herself losing control of her carefully constructed lies. But if Ro's walls come crumbling down, who's going to take care of Bonnie...
‘I write the kind of stories I’d want to read – stories about people making mistakes and trying to find out where they fit in: stories that capture the uncertainty and excitement and sheer terror of doing stuff for the very first time: stories that make you feel seen’ Lisa Williamson
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Press Reviews
Lisa Williamson Press Reviews
Praise for Lisa Williamson;
'Pacy, instantly absorbing' The Guardian
'Relatable characters and well-crafted dialogue make this a thoroughly engaging read' Financial Times
'Poignant, thought-provoking and intensely readable . . . UK YA writing at its best' The Bookseller
‘Passionate and gripping’ Daily Telegraph
‘Life-affirming’ Marie Claire
‘Heart-warming, and ground-breaking’ Independent
‘A compelling story with a ton of heart’ BuzzFeed
Author
About Lisa Williamson
Lisa Williamson won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize in 2016 with her debut novel, The Art of Being Normal which won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize for Older Fiction 2016, and was shortlisted for the YA Book Prize and Branford Boase Award and was the bestselling YA hardback debut of 2015. Lisa was born and grew up in Nottingham. She studied drama at Middlesex University and since graduating has worked as an actor on stage and TV. Between acting jobs Lisa temped in offices across London, typing stories when no one was looking, one of which eventually became The Art of Being Normal. Lisa lives in east London.
Author photo © Dale Wightman
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