Graffiti Moon

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Paperback, 416 pages

Expected Publication: 5th July 2012 by Hodder Children's Books

(First Published 1st August 2010)

My shelves: arc-or-review, better-than-expected, books-i-own, contemporary, currently-reading, read-in-2012, realistic-fiction, too-much-hype, young-adult

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description via Goodreads:

"Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

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My thanks go to Hodder for sending me this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very curious about this book since reading all of the rave international reviews. When I discovered that the book would be released in England, I knew that I had to try and get a copy. As soon as I had a copy in my hands, I was very eager to read it, but also a little reluctant - I had high expectations! Thankfully, it didn't disappoint.

One of the first books that I reviewed on this blog was A Little Wanting Song by the same author, which I did like, but it didn't impress me all that much. It was based around music, which I don't have that much of a connection with. In contrast, Graffiti Moon is based around art and two artists, which I could very easily connect with. I used to create a lot more art than I do now, (click here if you want to see it), but I will never lose my connection towards art, and it feels to me as though the characters in this book could never lose their connection to art either. I don't know if Crowley has a personal adoration for art, but I think that in a few simple words, she has been very successful in portraying that feeling across. 

Even if you're not an artist or if you don't visit galleries often, I believe that you could still easily enjoy this. You've probably heard of or seen some of Banksy's art, and essentially, this story is about a couple of boys like him - 'anonymous' street/graffiti artists called Shadow and Poet. I love Banksy, so I instantly loved the idea of this one. The story is told in several points of view - from Lucy, Ed (Shadow) and Leo (Poet). I was surprised to see that Poet's chapters were actually written in poetry and I loved that. 

This book reminded me a little of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. As we follow Lucy and Ed throughout one night, we get to learn about them as they learn about each other and their friendship progresses. Lucy is on a mission to discover who Shadow is, and doesn't realise that she's forming a friendship with him. I personally thought this was a bit more realistically written and definitely better developed than Nick and Norah. It is really hard to believe that this book is set over a night, so much is crammed in, but it doesn't feel overly-packed - it does feel natural. I really loved learning about all of the characters that we were introduced to in this book, not just the main ones. We got to hear about people who helped and inspired our protagonists and their development was very strong, even though they were in the 'background'. Lucy and Ed both felt very genuine and real to me, their personality beaming through the pages.

This is a fantastic contemporary read that managed to really impress me. It's not exactly full of joy - maybe not a beach read, but it is full of discovery and has a great sense of hope about it. I wouldn't hesitate to anyone who wants a quick but  reasonably deep and satisfying young adult read.