Warning : Plot spoiler ahead
So Much to Tell You is a beautifully written book that follows a young girl, Marina, as she struggles to cope in her new school. However, Marina’s story is not so ordinary, as she has had problems at home which caused her face to be scarred and her to have “anorexia of speech".
Characters:
Cathy Preshill – Cathy is thin and kind to Marina most of the time. She also writes many poems. When it comes to Prep (homework), she is serious and works hard to get the results she wants. Cathy also owns a small collection of books (she mainly reads ‘cosmic stuff’), a cactus she likes to call Alberich and a miniature toy Wombat.
Sophie Smith – Sophie is boyish but pretty and has a very vibrant personality - this sometimes clashes with Marina’s causing Sophie to be irritated. She also has a round face and short hair, coupled with a ‘husky’ voice that makes her sound older. Sophie is lively and fun in any situation but can’t seem to sit still.
Ann Maltin – Ann is kind and has a broken-star doona. Ann seems to be interested in Marina and talks to her sometimes. Ann had a beautiful and artistic clay eagle on a cupboard beside her bed, but one day, Marina breaks it but, instead of being angry, Ann tries to make Marina not worry about it. By the end of the day, the eagle is fixed.
Kate Mandeville – Kate is loud and crude and only ever has two things on her mind. Kate is friends with Sophie. She also seems to go with the flow a lot, putting her into difficult situations. Although Kate is friends with Sophie, they often have fights but make up in the end. Kate often talks about Lisa behind her back, but mostly because she is jealous.
Lisa Morris – Lisa is tall and blonde and appears to be Nordic. She has a small mark on her cheek which she received from a skiing accident. Lisa is strong and quiet but is still popular; Marina thinks she is sad inside, but hides it with her personality. Lisa does not join the other girls as they taunt Marina, but instead sticks up for her. She also watches Marina, quietly and without being seen. Lisa spends some time in the chapel. For sport, Lisa plays Tennis.
Tracey – Tracey is quiet and works hard, but doesn’t appear to be very smart. She is taken for granted by the other girls, but shows real artistic potential in her journal, where she has drawings and decorations. Tracey is “pretty big and sort of ungainly" but she seems kind to Marina.
Emma – Emma is from Hong Kong, has braces, red hair and seems quite cheerful. She apparently has many servants back in Hong Kong. One day, Marina spots Emma sitting in the chapel and wonders if she is religious. Emma seems to have little influence in her dormitory but is still friendly to everyone.
Plot:
When Marina starts school, she is given (along with the rest of the class) a journal to write in each night as homework. In this, we see a side to Marina that she won’t allow anybody else to see – in this journal, we see into her soul and hear her thoughts and feelings.
Marina regularly visits a counsellor but still refuses to talk.
As the days go by, we hear more and more about Marina and her past as well as the present. Her roommates (seven in all) all have different personalities but Marina wonders if they all feel the same inside and are just wearing ‘masks’. Marina comes to learn a lot in her English classes with Mr Lindell and discovers there’s more than meets the eye with everyone.
After a short time enrolled in Warrington (her boarding school), Marina finds herself invited to stay at Mr Lindell’s house with his family. Accepting the invitation, Marina meets Mr Lindell’s family and sees how kind they are to her each other. This shows Marina that not all families are like hers.
During the school holidays, Marina goes back to her house with her mother and her stepfather but is soon re-admitted into the hospital. The hospital staff show no signs of releasing her, but marina wants to go back to school. Marina, sort of desperate, contacts Mr Lindell through a letter and asks him to help her. Mr Lindell then comes to the hospital to talk with the doctors. When Marina sees him, she smiles, her first facial expression in front of people. Marina is then allowed to return to school.
Further into her sessions with Mrs Ransome (the counsellor), marina comes to think about her father, who has been in jail for hurting her. After weeks of thinking, Marina eventually gathers enough courage to ask (in a note) Mrs Ransome for an address that she can contact her father on. Marina doubts that Mrs Ransome would get the address, but is surprised when she has it for her the very next session.
Marina, now having the address of her father, can’t decide if she should write to him. Weeks later, she does write, but the letter is only brief. Marina posts the letter and, again, expecting nothing, is surprised to find a lengthy letter back from her father.
It is now close to the end of the semester and Cathy Preshill invites Marina over to her house in ‘Moonibah’, Tregonning. Marina is astonished yet again, but realises that her father would be near Tregonning on that particular day. Deciding to visit her father, marina goes along to Cathy’s house and takes a train the very next day.
Travelling to the hospital where her father is, Marina wonders what to do once she gets there, but it’s decided for her; she pretends she wants to see a doctor. Marina waits and waits to see her father coming through the door, but her name is eventually called out. As she stands, a voice from behind her says her name excitedly. The voice turns out to be her father and they both hug. Marina opens her mouth for the first time - she greets her father and says, “I’ve got so much to tell you…"
|
tweet this!
