This Is How We Change The Ending

This is How We Change the Ending
Written by Vikki Wakefield
Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, #loveozya
320 Pages
Published September 3rd 2019
Thanks to Text Publishing
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★★★★★
I have questions I’ve never asked. Worries I’ve never shared. Thoughts that circle and collide and die screaming because they never make it outside my head. Stuff like that, if you let it go, it's a survival risk.

Sixteen year old Nate McKee is doing his best to be invisible. He’s worried about a lot of things. How his dad treats Nance and his twin half brothers, the hydro crop in his bedroom, his reckless friend, Merrick.

Nate hangs out at the local youth centre and fills his notebooks with things he can’t say. But when some of his pages are stolen, and his words are graffitied at the centre, Nate realises he has allies.

He might be able to make a difference, change his life, and claim his future. Or can he?
For sixteen year old Nathaniel McKee, survival is learning to not to draw attention to yourself, to keep your head down and avoid confrontation. Living in their ramshackle government housing apartment is suffocating, Nate is reminded each day of the mother that abandoned him for her substance addiction, leaving him with his alcoholic, abusive father who uses toxic masculinity as a shield. Now with his new partner eight years his junior, Nance struggles to care for their two young boys Jake and Otis. Otis has developmental difficulties but has responding to cues from Nate of late, angering their father even further.

Nate McKee is a pacifist, sympathetic to the environment and sustainability. Avoiding confrontation with his father, Nate escapes to Youth Works, the local youth centre where the quietude and solace allow him to gather his thoughts in a series of notebooks, composing poems and anecdotes of the things he is too afraid to say aloud. Rowley Park is a low socioeconomic suburb where only the resilient survive and for adolescents like Nate and best friend Merrick, Youth Works provides a haven for those without a safe environment at home.

This is How We Change the Ending represents our low socioeconomic communities around Australia, public schooling, government housing and often areas with above average crime rates as residents are unemployed and unable to support their families financially. Our elected governments consider them as statistics, they're often our neighbours, our friends or our own families and Nate McKee is a vulnerable young man susceptible to becoming a stereotype.

Youth Works is a government funded local initiative for the youth of Rowley Park, providing security and a sense of belonging for those feeling misunderstood, displaced or lonely. The youth counsellors are supportive and encourage adolescents to become independent and motivated, including Nate and Merrick, friends and neighbours since childhood. Merrick is spontaneous, charismatic and a steadfast friend, although underappreciated. Nate is also challenged by English teacher Mister Reid, to think laterally and creatively. He instills a sense of confidence and ambition in his students. Mister Reid and counsellor Macy are important influences for Nate and through their interactions, he's determined to become more than a statistic.

This is How We Change the Ending is harrowing, traumatic and incredibly optimistic. Vikki Wakefield captures the voice of Australia's toughest and most vulnerable families throughout our working class and low socioeconomic suburbs. Authentic, compassionate and a remarkable narrative cementing Vikki Wakefield as an exceptional Australian young adult author. Sublime reading.

11 comments

  1. You're right, our government considers communities like this statistics, which makes me glad for stories in the hands of authors like Vicki Wakefield.

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    1. It's such a beautifully written narrative Verushka, I seen so much of my own young life in Nat's situation and it's something no child should ned to experience. It was absolutely compelling.

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  2. It sounds like the author did a fantastic job telling Nate's story, and struck a good balance between the dark and the light. I can handle heavier topics, as long as there is some hope infused in there.

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    1. There are plenty of light hearted and warm moments throughout, it's one of those reads that captivates readers, it's simply beautiful.

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  3. I don't think this one would be a good fit for me, because it sounds like a really intense read. I already hate the father and think someone should punch him in the face, so I feel like actually reading the book would make my blood boil. Wonderful review!

    Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬

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    1. It does but the ending is so so satisfying. It's representative of so many families in Australia sadly and it's harrowing but also incredibly hopeful and well worth the read, I think you would really enjoy it.

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  4. Nate's story sounds like an important one. I like how this shows Nate getting support from a community center as well as friends. And it sounds like the social commentary wasn't too heavy-handed.

    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

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    1. It was really organic which I loved because it's these type of books that have the power to start conversations. It was a brilliant read Tanya and I can't wait to see what she's working on next!

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  5. It's hard to balance all the seemingly overwhelming issues with optimism. I think that's an important element because things just seem like constant trash fire right now but we need hope and a path forward too.

    Karen @ For What It's worth

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    1. Vikki Wakefield did an incredible job getting the balance just right, such an incredible read Karen, absolutely loved it!

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  6. Ack. This book sounds so beautiful and painful, and I wish it's available up here. I like that it offers hope despite the seemingly lack of prospect for the character. <3

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