I found this a very quick read, I started at midnight with the plan to just see what it was like and before I realised I was up to chapter 8! I finished it later the same day.

This story is about 'Tom' a 14 year old girl from the small costal town referred to as The Crossing. On Mothers Day there was a devastating flood which claimed the lives of Tom's parents & sister, along with many others from the town. To start with Tom lives with an older man Bill in his fishing shack (its not really explained why or how this came about) until she gets pregnant (to Bill) and Tom decides to move in with her best friend Jonah who is 2 years older than her, living in his old house on his own (his parents died too).

As Tom struggles to come to terms with all the changes in her life she has her Nana who lives in a nursing home, Jonah's grandfather Jonathan (who is also in love with her Nana), the new teacher James Wo and Sargent Griffin to guide and advise her. But Tom also has 'others' she talks with, her late Papa, Oscar the Carp, Sarah the Catfish and The Minnow - which is what she calls the baby. It is never done in a 'she's crazy' way. Its treated as an entirely normal situation.

This is a moving 'coming of age' story about two young teenagers struggling to make a life on their own with many changes they have to deal with. While this is a great YA book its not to 'simple' for adults to enjoy as well.

The Minnow totally met the bar for my expectations. Many of my fellow Aussie book bloggers has read this book and pretty much all of them raved about it. Being the very inquisitive bookworm I am, I just had to know what it was about.

But back to the unique side of the book: I have never come across a book about a girl who can talk to animals, ghosts AND an unborn baby. Or about a pregnant (then fourteen) fifteen year old girl before.

I think the thing about The Minnow that touched me the most had to be Tom herself. To be honest, I still dont know whether she genuinely was seeing ghosts or whether it was just her way of coping with her life, but either way it was so interesting. Tom was quite a strange character, but she was loyal and I liked reading about her. Everything about her was unique: her situation, her personality and yeah, well, everything.

This next comment is probably going to contradict my whole review though. Because something wasntunique. Im pretty sure I just heard you gasp. The Minnow just had the same character voice as other purposely weird books do. Im not saying that this is a bad thing, actually I liked it, but I cant say this is an honest review if I claim that EVERYTHING was unique.

The relationships formed in this book really seemed to grow. Or in at least one case, decrease. But I dont like that said relationship. But whether it was the friendship between Tom and Jonah, or Tom and Nanna or even Tom and The Minnow, it was all good.

There were quite a few turns I didnt see coming though. All of a sudden something very abrupt and life changing for the characters amid what was typically a slow story. A little too slow actually. But it made for an easy read. Which of course had deeper meaning.

Im glad I read The Minnow and would definitely recommend it to someone looking for something a little different. I would probably suggest it for ages twelve and up. Just because its YA doesnt mean that adults shouldnt give it a go. I think that this is the sort of book that could definitely be enjoyed by adults too!

3.5/5 comets. Looks like the start of an apocalypse! Nearly there.

The Minnow is an interesting read that deals with loss and the need to find a new place in the world. Tom (Holly, the name she was born with) has suffered a tragic loss and then finds herself pregnant in her mid teens. The man who is the biological father of her child is not the most reliable of individuals. So the only person she can turn to is her best friend Jonah.

Tom goes through her days, avoiding everyday tasks like school. Perhaps because she doesn't want things to return back to normal and forget what she lost. Jonah, her nana and Jonah's grandfather Jonathan, as well as others in the town, help Tom adjust and ready herself for her life. The community sentiment of helping your neighbour is heart warming.

The story does have a few, I would say, flash backs. It isn't always chronological. Sweeney has the story go back to highlight a point before returning to the present to explain why something happens. It can be confusing but it does serve a purpose.

What is interesting and endearing is the blending of this world and the next. The conversations Tom has with departed loved ones and creatures serves a purpose. The talks she has are sweet and help her make sense of the world that she now embodies. It goes to show that those we love never really leave us.

The Minnow is one incredibly strange book. "Whimsical" doesn't even begin to describe it.

I've seen many claims that the narration is incredibly powerful. And while the narrative voice was indeed very poignant, with the innocent tone highlighting Tom's youth, at times I felt almost as if the narrative voice was too young. It didn't really seem like a year ten student speaking, but someone much younger. And while I could appreciate the author's attempt at a "moving and powerful coming of age story" with roots of "the heartbreaking truth of grief and loss", honestly, I didn't particularly feel any strong emotion when reading the book. I felt very much like an observer rather than letting myself really get immersed in the world.

Probably the biggest reason for this was the very disconnected flow. The pacing just seemed off for me, leading to a slightly boring read, to be quite honest. The writing style was also rather problematic. While it was a very subtle writing style, where nothing was overtly stated, and sure, this follows the rule of "show don't tell"- it almost stuck too closely to that rule, because it was actually rather confusing at times. I would have liked some explanations, particularly at the end.

All in all, The Minnow was an impressive effort for a debut novel, but unfortunately, I found the execution lacking, with poor pace and a lack of emotional engagement.

The Minnow was a beautifully written, unapologetically different YA novel. I was quickly drawn into Toms world and became hooked. It was strange, lyrical and had a dream-like quality to it.

Tom is a girl who has suffered greatly most of her family have been lost in the flood, everyone except her grandmother. She feels adrift in this strange world. She is not so ordinary. She can see ghosts and animals talk to her. We soon find out that Tom is pregnant and that the baby, which she refers to as the minnow, talks to her too.

Tom has a lot of good people in her life, people who want to take care of her and the minnow. Jonah (who is a boy) is Toms best friend. He has lost his family too and lets Tom come and live with him when she finds out she is pregnant. I loved their friendship. Loved how they were so close and cared for each other, and how their friendship was just that, a friendship. This was very much a character driven novel and Im pleased to say all the characters were well-round and felt very real.

The plot was a bit all over the place, flitting between past and present. And there was a hint, a rather big hint I thought, that there was something different going on, but it is never confirmed so I was left a little confused.

The Minnow has been haunting me since I finished it, like one of Toms ghosts. Certainly a strange story, but one so beautifully written. It will pick you up and sweep you along with it. I was endeared to Tom and the minnow and found myself wanting more when it ended. I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to lovers of YA. If you are looking for a well written novel, both tragic and sweet, that is different, The Minnow is the book for you.

The Minnow was a very endearing and charming read. It was one filled with a lot of symbolism, in the style of the talks that Tom (the main character) had with animals, the dead and her own little baby while she was pregnant with her and also with water. Water played a major role in her life, it had killed her entire family and yet she still loved it. She loved fishing in it, loved the fish that swam in it and eventually loved to swim in it again. If you look up the Taoist meaning of water it says that it represents wisdom, which fits this book perfectly as that is what she received when she spoke to her beloved carp, Oscar. It also represents Intuition, Reflection, the Subconscious and Transformation in many other religions/beliefs. And once you understand the meaning of water, you also understand the big picture of this book the meaning behind all her talks with the fish, of being near water, of having such a profound connection to water.

The book also talked frequently about the future, about letting go and how one can overcome their fears. You learn of Toms biggest fear at the end and it made me realise just how innocent she really was. I mean, at the beginning I didnt know how young Tom was and only found out that she was only a 14.5 year old girl a couple of chapters in. Although that didnt ruin the story for me, because she sounded young with the way she spoke but I like having information like that right at my fingertips so that I can really get the picture of who the main character is.

The story didnt really flow for me as it seemed to jump around a bit and often I would wonder if she was in her dreamlike state, the present or the future. Maybe it was my frame of mind at the time. Maybe I was a little bit distracted and the book needed a whole lot more attention, but the jumping around just confused me a little at times. But I also have to say that with the stories of the past, it made it easier to understand her present.

Although not a favourite of mine, I am glad I read it because it was a very beautiful novel, full of innocence, charm and wisdom that we can apply to our own everyday lives. It is a one in a million kind of book that deserves the attention of a dedicated reader and maybe even a philosopher. Its a book that you will remember for the strange and yet, utterly understandable character of Tom.

3.5 stars

'The Minnow', written by the talented Diana Sweeney, is a whimsical tale about dealing with love and loss in the most trying of circumstances.

While the plot failed to grip me too tightly due to its subtle ambiguity, the writing is poetic, absorbing and of a high standard and the symbols of water and fish are integrated seamlessly and do add to the emotional weight of the story.

While this book wasn't my personal taste, if you like Francesca Lia Block, an equally unique, sometimes ambiguous but always creative author, then you'll probably love this!

The Minnow is a whimsical coming of age story that deals heavy issues like death, grief, sexuality and what it means to grow up.

I finished this book a couple of days ago and had to take a breather before doing this review to even begin to start writing down what I thought of it.

First of all I got a "WTF just happened feeling" that I haven't felt since I read Alice in Wonderland as a child. The feeling doesn't go away as you are not sure if the main character, Holly a.k.a Tom, is:
a) High...
b) In a Coma and dreaming all this
c) Can really speak to fish and see/communicate with dead people.

The whole story is vague and whimsical from beginning to end, so if you are hoping for hard hitting explanations and resolutions, you will be waiting a long time.

Then there is something that doesn't sit well with me at all... Poor Tom loses her all her family in the Flood (in the middle of outback Australia?!!!) except for her old Nan. As her Nan lives in a nursing home and cannot look after orphaned Tom, she has to resort to living with an oddball (possible drug dealing) womaniser called Bill... Ok, who in the world thought that would be a good idea?!

Now going through the book I can summarize that Tom was 14 when she moved in with Bill and he was considered old enough to be her Father. As Tom celebrated her 15th Birthday pregnant (yes, you heard right), I can only concluded that Tom was still 14 when Bill realized she not a boy but was in fact a girl and proceeded "seduced" her.

Even though Tom refuses to talk about the nature of her relationship with Bill (apart from one vague paragraph) or in fact Bill specifically, I still consider what he did statutory rape and do not understand why the townsfolk, particularly the cops, didn't lock him up for it!! Rant Over.

Apart for the above, the banter was mildly enjoyable and though I do feel for fish and sinker obsessed Tom, this was too much of trip down hippy-dippy-fishy lane for me to really love.

I should have known when the back of the book uses words like whimsical to describe the story that its not going to sit well with me.

You get the distinct impression from the first few paragraphs that were following the story of a young girl. That is, until Bill starts calling this character Tom and you think otherwise. Rather confusing. Eventually the nickname is explained but for the next few pages youre scratching your head wondering how you got it wrong, thinking the main protagonist was a woman when they are calling them Tom, when you were paying attention, really!

So when Bill realizes oh, youre a girl and proceeds to get while the getting was good, and uncertain as we are about the actual age of Tom and Bill, were very much aware that this is probably not a kosher arrangement.

Tom talks to people and animals. The people can be dead or alive, and the animals big and small. That is the aforementioned whimsical element that gives me the willies.

Conceptually, I can understand it. Toms family has been killed in a flood. I wish the flood was more defined, because I had a very big issue with imagining a flood that wiped out what seemed like most of the town, in outback Australia. It would have seemed more believable to me if it had been in Thailand or something where the tsunami decimated the population, but in Australia? It just didnt fit for me.

So Toms dealing with survivors guilt, pregnancy and massive loss. And we finally figure out that Tom is 15. Again, I have a hard time believing that in Australia a pregnant 15 year old would be left to their own devices, living with another young man in an abandoned family home. So thats a pretty big issue, as Tom is spending a lot of time talking to the minnow and the res of the menagerie of animals and not planning for her future, or that of the minnow.

One of the teachers from the local school, James, takes an interest in Tom, but if this is meant to be Australia, I dont see a teacher indulging this type of lord of the flies living arrangements. I was hoping hed be more of a voice of reason but you didnt get that to the extent that it needed.

The story trickled along without a lot of whimsy and I found it slightly ridiculous. All these bits and pieces, fishing, Bill, dead people conversing, police investigating a man in an undefined crime, but accepting a 15 year old playing house as being ok? I prefer a much more realistic type of contemporary novel and if it had focused more on the strong themes of grief and growing up, rather than waffling on about fish telling tales.