Calma and Kiffo are an unlikely pair. She is clever and (mostly) well behaved at school, Kiffo is, frankly, the exact opposite, but the two are devoted friends for reasons that are explained throughout this debut novel from English teacher Barry Jonsberg. United against a new teacher known as the Pitbull, Calma and Kiffo come to believe that the Pitbull may be dealing drugs and set out to prove it—with devastating consequences. Jonsberg’s writing is fresh and funny, his characters, particularly Pitbull, larger than life without being too over the top and his dialogue is accurate; as you’d expect from a writer who spends his working life with kids of this age. The story is written in a series of diary-style entries from Calma, interspersed with flashbacks written in the second-person that tease the reader with snapshots from the foundation of the pair’s friendship, and Calma’s letters to The Fridge—her mother, who is never around because she’s always working. The book’s ending is a difficult one and, for this reader at least, encompassed an unexpected twist. However, the material is well handled and chapter 24 in particular, bites with fierce teenage realism. A great read for older readers with a taste for realist Australian fiction.

Eliza Metcalfe is AB&P’s editorial coordinator

Tags: barry jonsberg