Up until now, I have only ever read books written in the British Isles and USA. Recently, however, I decided it might be interesting to go for books written in other countries. Through reading stories, you get more of an idea of what it is like to actually live in a place than just by reading about people's travels to the area. You can know what it is like to be a part of that world.
These are some of the reasons why I read the award-winning Catalogue Of The Universe a few weeks ago. The story is set in a small city in 1980s New Zealand, which is where and when the book was written by Margaret Mahy. It is about the main character Angela May and her search for the father she never met, which is supported by her best friend Tycho. While Tycho lives an ordinary life with his parents and brother in the inner city, Angela's unusual home is far up on the hillside, in a world without flushing toilets or proper roads. It is interesting to see how varied the lives of these people are.
I think what I like most about this book is how the writer still finds time to discuss big philosophical ideas in a book that is quite fast paced. It can make the book quite hard to keep up with sometimes, but it makes it a much more interesting read. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read something a bit different.
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