Book Title: Lola Rose
Author: Jacqueline Wilson
Genre: Children’s Literature, Realism
Published: March 2003
Publisher: Doubleday
Synopsis
Jayni and Kenny lived with their mom and dad. That is until their mom, Nicky, wins on a scratch card. But there’s a problem, Jay, their abusive father.
Nicky packs bags while Jay is at the pub and runs away with the kids. They take on new identities. Nicky becomes Victoria Luck, Jayni is Lola Rose and Kenny is Kendal. Just hen they feel everything is safe, Nicky discovers a lump on her breast that could be fatal. This new discovery turns Lola Rose’s new, safe life upside down.
Jacqueline Wilson
Introduction
Jacqueline Wilson is known and sometimes criticised, for writing books about children in hardship, especially grief. Her book, Lola Rose is no different. It touches upon the violence and unexpected situations that some young children have to deal with on a daily basis. Jacqueline Wilson also includes the fear, behaviour issues and confusion that this can cause children.
Jayni and Kenny are no different. Both children are hurt by their dad’s actions, just in different ways. And they are at a total loss when their mother falls ill.
I found this book interesting and well written.
Plot and Narration
I wouldn’t really say the book has a complex plot. In fact, it’s more like it has several plots that are both simple and may intertwine on occasion. Originally a story about a girl escaping from her violent dad with her baby brother and mom, it becomes a story about a girl afraid her mom is going to die.
This may sound morbid, but Wilson deals with the story well. As always, the story is told from the perspective of the protagonist, which is Jayni / Lola Rose. This helps to distance the story a little bit from the more gruesome details. Lola Rose is aware of the bruises caused by her dad but doesn’t go into too much detail of what happened, avoiding too much upsetting details. It also shows the confusion that the children feel when in situations like these and how they imitate behaviour.
An example of this is seen in Kenny. When living with their dad, Kenny believed that hitting girls was alright. He lashes out. Attacks his sister, hits his mom and sticks up for his dad. But when they run away and their mom gets a new boyfriend who is kinder and more of a father figure, Kenny becomes more mellow, he isn’t violent. I think it also installs an important message to the children reading the book; no one deserves to be hit or abused.
New life for the characters
For awhile, Kenny and Lola Rose settle down to what seems like it is going to be a good life with their mom and her new boyfriend, Jake. But then their mom has a lump on her breast and has to go to hospital and Jake leaves. Lola Rose is at a lost what to do. Afraid she’ll end up in care, she rings the aunt her mom told her about.
I like how the story lets you know that just because one problem has gone away doesn’t mean there will not be more that follows. Running away from her dad didn’t mean that everything would be fine. Life is full of unexpected events.
While the ending is happy and the children are cared for, the story does not let you know what happens to the mom and whether she is going to get better.
I think this is a good thing as there will be children who do have a family member with cancer. By not knowing whether the mother in this book is cured, a child in a similar situation will not be given false hope. However, as Lola and Kenny are safe from their father, a child reading this book will know that the characters will be fine regardless of what happens, so maybe they will be too.
I think Jacqueline Wilson handles this topic very well.
Characters
The characters were well drawn out, particularly the children. I liked how the children’s goal and motivation changed on a daily basis depending on how they were feeling, which I think is common with children.
Kenny / Kendal
Kenny only wanted to go back to his dad until he met his mom’s new boyfriend Jake. He has an obsession with sharks and carries his toy shark around with him everywhere.
When Kenny invades people’s personal space with the shark, and instigate shark attacks, the toy is band from school. Kenny also doesn’t understand why he had to leave his dad until they meet again. After he had two different role modules, Kenny realises how bad his dad really was.
Jayni / Lola Rose
Jayni only wanted to get away from her dad. She is terrified of him. She believed he would hurt her and that he would hurt her mom. However, she couldn’t relax while on the run, afraid he would find them.
That is, until her aunt Barbara comes along and shows her that she does not have to be afraid. She’s superstitious I think, believing that if she goes to the aquarium for an hour to confront the scary shark, George, that her mom will be cured and the shark tooth she acquired would also help.
Minor Characters, Jake, Nicky/Victoria & Barbara
Jake is a university student in his 20s that dates Lola Rose’s mom until her lottery runs out. It is never clear if he was after the money or the cancer was what broke them apart but he does say that he was not looking for a long term relationship which could also suggest commitment issues. He was a good role module to the children.
Nicky/Victoria is the mother of Lola Rose and Kenny. Perhaps also a little superstitious. Nicky chose the surname, Luck, as she believed she was lucky. That changed when she received a diagnoses of cancer.
Barbara is the aunt of the children and comes in as a protector. She helps the children feel secure and helps their mom with the hospital appointments and treatment that she has to go through. She is a big-boned woman, often ridiculed for her size. But she does not let this stop her. She can take care of herself and proves everyone wrong.
Overall Thoughts
I feel this book contains two difficult topics, domestic violence and terminal illness, but it copes with them well and contains good messages. Nicky doesn’t take Jay back, showing that a person should not treat their partner with violence. Lola Rose learns the dangers of lurking outside late by herself and Kenny learns that violence is not the answer.
It also shows that there is always hope. While we don’t know if Nicky gets better, we know that Lola Rose and Kenny are with their aunt and are safe. They may have hard times ahead, but they will get through it