Invisible Girl by Kate Maryon - review

'Please read it - not only is it challenging, emotional and brilliant, but it's also important for you to read'

There's few words I can use to describe Invisible Girl, because it had such an impact on me. When I sat down to start reading Invisible Girl, I knew I'd be in for a rocky ride - Kate's books (my favourite being A Million Angels) release emotions inside me that I didn't know I had, if you pardon the cliche.

Call me ignorant, but when I picture someone who's homeless, I picture an older man in ripped clothes sitting outside Sainsbury's. I've never thought about the fact that kids, desperately unhappy kids, are running away from home and living on the streets. Just as I'm writing this, and you're reading this, a child has run away from home and is living in the freezing cold. Maryon has this knack for grasping these issues, taking them by the hand and leading them into words to pages to stories, challenging them and above all, raising those issues to a generation who don't know anything about them.

The narrative voice of Gabriella is genuine and poignant - her voice finds a strength and a connection with something inside you, with her authentic emotion and unfeigned voice. Maryon writes with an edge and a raw honesty that doesn't fail to surprise me, and in Invisible Girl, in particular, her gift shines through.

I would love to analyse Invisible Girl in lots of detail, as I usually do in my reviews; picking for faults, errors and things that don't make sense. And of course, there are moments that you think you'd change, but that is what makes Invisible Girl so perfect.

I think that Invisible Girl is going to produce great changes; it has changed lots of things about me and how I think, and it'll do the same for you. Please read it - not only is it challenging, emotional and brilliant, but it's also important for you to read - the issues raised may not be issues you want to talk about, to something you feel comfortable with, but it's important - don't miss it, because Kate Maryon has created something really special here.
