


When she hears about Lottie’s stroke, however, Ellie comes back to make peace with her bubbe (grandmother) before it’s too late. Traumatised by the experience, Ellie distanced herself from her family and hid away in Melbourne. Up to the age of 11, that was Ellie’s plan too, but then she made her film debut co-starring with her grandmother in a cult horror movie, Blood & Jacaranda. And about embracing the things that scare us, in order to be braver.Įllie comes from an acting dynasty: her family home – a huge old Gothic mansion in Hobart – contains at least one of every film industry award (including a couple of Oscars) Errol Flynn was considered to be the family rival and when her famous actress grandmother, Lottie Lovinger, is rushed to hospital, A-list celebrities from Hollywood and all over the world fly in to attend her bedside vigil.Įllie loved acting as a child, and it was expected that she would follow in the family footsteps. When a chance encounter with a young film buff leads her to a feminist horror film collective, Ellie meets Riya, a girl who she might be able to show her real self to, and last comes to understand her family’s legacy - and her own part in it.Ī story of love, loss, family and film - a stirring, insightful novel about letting go of anger and learning to forgive without forgetting. But forgiveness feels like playing make-believe, and memories are like ghosts. Lottie is dying and Ellie wants to make peace with her before it’s too late. Now seventeen, Ellie has returned home to Hobart for the first time in years.

The experience left Ellie deeply traumatised and estranged from people she loved. Granddaughter of the infamous Lottie Lovinger, as a child Ellie shared the silver screen with Lottie in her one-and-only role playing the child monster in a cult horror movie. But sooner or later, the mask must come off…Įllie Marsden was born into the legendary Lovinger acting dynasty. With its insightful explorations of love, grief, mental health and friendship, it’s perfect for fans of John Green, Krystal Sutherland and Sally Rooney.How do you ruin someone’s childhood? You let them make-believe that they are a monster. But how long can Stella keep lying – to herself and everyone else? And when the truth finally comes out, how will it affect her newfound friendship with Grace? Shortlisted for the Ampersand Prize, Completely Normal (and other lies) is a gripping contemporary YA novel that’s as witty and sarcastic as it is tender and moving. And while Grace can mourn publicly, Stella has to hide her feelings to stop people from finding out about her and Isaac being more than friends. When Isaac is killed in a car accident, the entire school is turned upside down with grief. He seems to love her back, but there’s a problem – he already has a girlfriend, the gorgeous Grace Reyes. Stella Wilde is secretly in love with the hottest guy in school, Isaac Calder. And Stella Wilde’s about to break them all.
