Maggie’s Going Nowhere is the debut novel of Australian author, Rose Hartley. Released at the beginning of the year and already very well received by audiences globally.
In the space of a few days, Maggie Cotton’s life is turned upside down. She is kicked out of her degree course, dumped by her boyfriend, disinherited by her mum, and homeless.
Maggie must find the solution to all this whilst convincing her best friend Jen not to marry a scumbag; as if she’s not got enough on her plate. Moving into a 1960s caravan and volunteering at a charity shop, whilst admiring her co-worker Reuben, Maggie begins to rebuild her life.
The character development for Maggie over the course of the novel is colossal. She starts as an obnoxious, lazy, 29-going-on-15 year old but her coming-of-age turn around is certainly better late than never.
Whilst Maggie certainly may not start out very likeable you still find yourself rooting for her along the way.
The city of Melbourne is a glorious backdrop for this story and many contemporary societal problems are touched on including homelessness and job seeking when holding a criminal record.
This novel is easy to pick up and hard to put down. It will have you laughing out loud and shaking your head at the protagonist’s questionable decisions throughout.
