Book Review: Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella

Rating: 4/5 Stars

(Finished reading 7/7/17)

Funny, fresh, unique.

Finding Audrey is a contemporary YA novel which follows 14 year old Audrey as she copes with her severe anxiety and depression following an incident at school. Audrey cannot leave the house, she can’t talk to strangers and she wears dark sunglasses all the time to avoid eye contact. But then she meets Linus who challenges her to face her anxiety and she is forced to face the difficulties of coping with the aftermath of her past.

I loved reading about Audrey’s story. I literally read it in one sitting one afternoon! As I was reading it I actually found myself comparing it to ‘The One Memory of Flora Banks’ by Emily Barr so I would recommend it as if you enjoyed one you may enjoy the other also. Sophie Kinsella dealt with the issues of mental health brilliantly through Audrey’s unique internal dialogue as we see how mental illnesses affect individuals. Audrey’s perspective was so fresh to read and offered an important insight into the lives of those affected by the mental illnesses explored in the novel. But at the same time, Audrey’s voice was funny and entertaining. The novel wasn’t too dark or depressing but instead was uplifting and brought a smile to my face multiple times. Audrey was in no way defined by her mental illness but instead we saw her colourful personality shine through the depths of her anxiety and depression. I loved seeing Audrey grow and sparkle more and more from beginning to the end. She is so strong as a character and I think can be a true inspiration to all.

I also liked the strong emphasis on family. In the book we are presented with a messy and unflinchingly honest view of family; from the ups to the downs and everything in between. Audrey’s family were so easy to love. I loved her Mum’s obsession with the Daily Mail; I loved her Dad’s obsession with playing rock music; I loved her brother Frank’s obsession with gaming; and I loved her little brother Felix’s ability to appreciate all of life as the greatest miracle with the eyes of a 4 year old. I particularly loved Audrey’s relationship with Frank and how they (mostly) got on so well as brother and sister. They were always there for one another throughout their parents’ slightly crazy, but very loving, approaches towards parenting.

I really loved the screenplay style extracts illustrating Audrey’s documentary of her family. This was really unique to this novel and I found it really refreshing to read this style. As I was reading these parts I found myself wishing that the book could be adapted into a mockumentary-style film or TV miniseries from the perspective of Audrey. I could so vividly picture the amateur video footage of a 14 year old girl as she documents the quirky and hilarious tales of her everyday family life. It was a delight to read and I devoured it with so much admiration for the writing.

Audrey and Linus’ interactions were sweet and funny and so cute! Linus was so understanding of Audrey’s feelings whilst still attempting to help her and push her out of her comfort zone. I loved their Starbucks trips, their mini-challenges to talk to strangers and also the bit with the ice-cream which was so cute! My only criticism is that I wished we saw more of them together and these cute moments. I know this isn’t really a romance novel and I loved its focus on family and mental illness, but Linus was such a big part of Audrey’s story and yet I felt as though we didn’t see a great deal of him in the story.  Also, at times I found Linus to be a little too forceful when pushing Audrey and he didn’t always respect what Audrey thought would be best which did put me off him slightly. I just felt like he wasn’t perfect either and yet Audrey was the only one who apologised for her actions. Having said this, I did really enjoy reading about them both and I loved how much happier Audrey’s life seemed after he entered it.

Another thing I really appreciated is that the ending was actually very satisfying. I felt I got just enough closure and it ended with a really valuable life lesson that I think we all need to be reminded of every now and then. The only thing I perhaps would have liked added to the story was a deeper explanation as to the ‘incident’ in Audrey’s past. We do get a general idea as to what it was but I was expecting to learn a bit more about it by the end of the novel. This mystery kept me reading to find out what happened to her and yet we never get a proper explanation as to what happened. For me, I think this extra detail would have made the ending even more satisfying. However, I did still really like how it ended which is rare for many of the novels I have read!

Overall, I thought this story was wonderful. I think it deals with mental illness in such a great way whilst still keeping the story entertaining and fun to read. I think a lot of people could relate to Audrey’s story but also a lot of people would have a better understanding of mental illness from reading this. I would definitely recommend giving it a read if you’re looking for something funny but also a really honest and unique perspective.