Woo Feminism... Remix by Non Pratt

Remix

Written by Non Pratt

Contemporary, Realistic Fiction

Published in Australia August 1st 2015

304 Pages

Thank you to Walker Books Australia

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RATING ★★★★

From the author of Trouble comes a new novel about boys, bands and best mates.

Kaz is still reeling from being dumped by the love of her life... Ruby is bored of hearing about it. Time to change the record.

Three days. Two best mates. One music festival. Zero chance of everything working out.

Best friends Karizma and Ruby are embarking on an epic adventure of boys, bands and learning the value of female friendship. Both Kaz and Ruby are newly single, with Kaz and former boyfriend Tom having called it quits only a month prior. He declared that their relationship was little more than a friendship, while Kaz was left utterly heartbroken and still pining for the lad they call Rugby Tom, the kind of boy you take home to meet your parents. Ruby is the wild girl who caught her boyfriend in the embrace of another and didn't hesitate to walk away. She refuses to think about Stu and declares the Remix Festival weekend a chance to both start again. Best friends, boys and rocking bands to cure a heartache is in order.

One sleazy rock star, two former boyfriends, one moment of regrettable sex and a new girlfriend you're expected to babysit later, Kaz and Ruby will have lived a weekend to remember. Old flames rekindled, new loves discovered, finding yourself and realising that life isn't defined by your past mistakes.

MY THOUGHTS

Remix was an entertaining read that not only shows the turmoil of friendship, but how we are all irrevocably flawed. But rather than take issue with how we make mistakes, often over and over, it celebrates our differences and how we grow from our misdemeanors. Kaz and Ruby may be best friends, but the two girls couldn't be more different. While Kaz is quiet and pines for former boyfriend Tom, Ruby is a wild child who isn't afraid to put herself back on the market. Or is she? The musical festival plays a very small part of the storyline, but focuses on the lives of a small group of friends, the girls, Ruby's brother and his boyfriend and the relationships they form. One of the biggest flaws I find in young adult, is the unrealistic portrayal of teen relationships, and while not all teens are sexually active, many are and Remix showcases teens who are perhaps not ready to deal with the maturity that comes along with adult relationships.

It also touches on issues such as cheating and the moral dilemma between suspecting someone isn't single, and having it confirmed he or she is attached. Kaz is single, and refuses to believe that former boyfriend Tom has already moved on, so she doesn't ask and it makes for an incredibly uncomfortable situation. Although morally Kaz should feel ashamed, she isn't the one who should be feeling guilty. It's a fine line that will divide readers and raise discussion about loyalty. Although Remix is sex positive with Kaz's mother promoting sexual health, I think the sexual situations the girls both found themselves in was anything but positive. The experience of regretful sex in both cases adds to their journey of growth, showing yet again how flawed we all are.

Thank goodness Kaz meets Sebastian. He's absolutely lovely and just what the storyline needed. A positive beginning of what could possibly be a new relationship.

THE VERDICT

The emotion of it's characters, their flaws and how we learn from our mistakes is what makes Remix so emotionally raw and realistic. It's the passion and lives beyond the music that makes Remix compelling, the lines that are crossed, the chances taken. It's teen life at it's worse... And best.

NON PRATT SHARES... HOW BEING A FEMINIST AFFECTS MY WRITING

Feminism is having a moment. Or at least, it feels like that since I read Caitlin Moran’s How to Be a Woman and realised that I was a feminist. It’s a lot like Neo in The Matrix choosing the red pill over the blue. Once you’re in, you don’t just see feminism everywhere, you see the need for it: the disparity in pay, in treatment, in success; the lack of female roles in films, female names on prize lists, female politicians in parliament.

Men and women are treated differently when they should be treated as equals. It’s a simple principle, but as is often the case with the simplest concepts, people have a hard time agreeing on how to action it. At times it feels as if feminism spends more time looking to itself than looking to the society it wants to change.

YA, written by women (and men) who often place teen girls at the heart of the story, is already a fertile ground for feminist sensibilities. As one of these authors, I’m throwing my own voice into the chorus and I don’t mind if we’re not all singing from exactly the same hymn sheet. (I’m not here to tell other people how to be feminist. It’s enough that you are one.) But, for the record, here’s the one I sing from:

• My female characters can save themselves / other girls / boys.

• My female characters can be saved by boys… but they probably won’t be.)

• If I have girls tearing each other down, I will also have them building each other up.

• If my female characters consent to sex it is because they think they will enjoy it. (Although that doesn’t always mean they do…)

• If a character is going to cast aspersions on girls for having casual sex, another character will cast aspersions on boys who do the same.

• If I write what seems like a gender stereotype, it will be a decision, not a default. Fathers can be competent around the house and mothers in the workplace. Some school girls can be good at maths, some school boys at art. No activity is off limits because of gender alone.

• I will think of every character as a person before I think of them as anything else.

• I’m an optimist, a big believer in writing the world as a hybrid of the way it is and the way you want it to be. Eventually, one will become the other.

ABOUT NON

Non Pratt grew up in Teesside and now lives in London. After graduating from Trinity College Cambridge, Non decided to work in children's publishing. Since then she has worked at Usborne as a non fiction editor and fiction publisher at Catnip. She now writes full time

Her Website     Twitter     Goodreads     Tumblr

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