Wonderful book. A beautifully written and compelling coming of age novel about a young boy, Seymour, farmed out for the summer holidays while his mother tries to sort out issues with her ex-husband. Bored and lonely, one day Seymour meets the, to him, glamorous and lively Angie, a young woman who takes Seymour under her wing. But Angie is a very troubled soul indeed and Seymour’s innocence is no match for her. Only gradually do we, the readers, start to see what is actually going on, and it takes Seymour a lot longer. The characterisation and dialogue are truly excellent, descriptions vivid and atmospheric, and heart-breaking though the story is, it never descends into sentimentalism. First published in 1989, it’s as fresh and relevant as ever, and although intended for the Young Adult reader, there won’t be many adults who won’t wipe away a tear or two.

A touching tale of an unlikely friendship between an eleven year old boy, Seymour, and Angie- the charismatic, fun and always energetic neighbor who in time turns out to be an addict.
This realization and the fear of losing a close friend shatters Seymour's world and forces him to confront it.
I loved the narration and viewing the world through Seymour's eyes was a real treat because it unraveled the struggles of addiction, not on the addict but the close friends and family and how easy it is to see their actions, judge them harshly for it and forget the human in them.
Thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

Very touching story on friendship, addiction and charecters so well developed they will stick with you once you are done with this book. Seymour and Anige are the main characters and it is a very good portrayal of the effects of drug use on the user as well as the people around them. You will find yourself lost in Seymour and Angie's world and this to me is the sign of a well-written story. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

I’m not sure how you’re supposed to review a book you’ve loved since your early teens, especially when you haven’t read it for about 20 years. With such high expectations and nostalgia taking hold I was worried that Came Back To Show You I Could Fly wouldn’t stand the test of time. How happily wrong I was!

It was everything I remembered and more. Angie and Seymour, both lonely outcasts, took up residence in my heart way back in the early 1990’s when it was assigned reading for my English class. I can’t begin to imagine how many times I reread this book as a teenager, taking hope from what is quite a sad book on the surface.

Seymour is staying for several weeks over the school holidays with Thelma, a lady who clearly has no experience caring for children, but has been basically conned into protecting Seymour from his father by his drama queen mother. Seymour is a lonely, neglected, bullied 11 year old who is so well mannered and adorable that I just want to hug and then adopt him. I was only a year or two older than Seymour at the time I first experienced this book and while I saw him as a peer at the time, I now look on him as someone I desperately want to mother.

By chance Seymour winds up at Angie’s home and over the course of the novel they form a sibling/friend bond and go on adventures all over the city. Angie brings colour and excitement to Seymour’s stone grey life. Seriously, Seymour’s Mum, a stone grey pencil case is not a cool birthday present!

Angie is effervescent and possibly stole someone else’s personality because she seems to have more than one person’s quota. With the ability to talk under water and regale Seymour with humourous anecdotes from her childhood, complete with impersonations, she’s a live wire. As a young teen fresh from a several year The Baby-sitters Club obsession, Angie’s dress sense reminded me of what I loved about Claudia Kishi, in particular the quirky earrings.

Beneath Angie’s bravado she’s hiding a secret from Seymour. Angie is addicted to drugs. I was really naïve in this area as a kid, coming from a family where no one even drinks alcohol, so this book was my introduction into this previously unknown world. It really opened my eyes at the time and in retrospect I can trace my love of social issues YA books to this one. I can also see the signs through the book of what’s really happening in Angie’s world that I missed as a kid.

What I really appreciated in my reread as an adult is how honestly Angie’s addiction is portrayed, vomit and all. Besides the suspicions Seymour has that Angie’s flu isn’t actually the flu, there is a sensitive yet heartbreaking insight into how drug addiction also affects parents, siblings and friends. While this is clearly shown with Angie’s Mum and sister, I am surprised that I never noticed before that Angie’s Dad and brother are barely even mentioned.

One of the things I love about books is how they influence who you become when you let them into your soul. The awe I felt as a kid at Angie’s clothes and earrings had a huge impact on me and I have an array of weird and wonderful earrings in my collection now. Angie’s lifelong habit of naming her outfits turned into me naming my cars. My first car I actually named Angie after this character. My car, like Angie, was initially rough around the edges but with some love and time I knew it would be loyal and good because beneath the exterior it was a fighter. That car served me well for a number of years.

Nostalgia aside, Robin Klein’s book definitely stands the test of time. Her characters are damaged but loveable, and even when they’re making truly dodgy decisions you want them to prevail in life. Once again I was emotionally invested in the story and no, they’re not tears. I’ve just got something in my eyes. 😭 This remains one of my all time favourites and I could happily go straight back to page 1 and read it all over again right now.

What I Hated: I almost feel like apologising to you about the cover image of this edition. While there’s nothing wrong with this image itself (although not my taste) and it would work well for another book, it does not belong on the cover of this one. Please, in this instance do not judge a book by its cover. The Angie on this cover is bland, boring, forgettable; an imposter. Angie is anything but.

The cover of my copy (the same one our English class at school read from) is the 1991 Puffin Books edition, and this features the real Angie and the real Seymour. The cover illustration is by Vivienne Goodman and you can tell she understood these characters.

Angie is up front, with her dyed hair tousled, shoulder tattoo, painted black fingernails, a jumble of bangles and the earrings I think she purchased with Seymour in her ears along with the first few of an array of earrings working their way up underneath her hair. She’s got this look on her face that’s one part “don’t mess with me”, one part sad, and with a hint of the potential of something sarcastic and inappropriate for the situation about to make its way out of her mouth. She looks like a troubled Meg Ryan, circa When Harry Met Sally….

In the background, there’s Seymour in his jeans, grandpa shirt and daggy sandals, with this smile on his face like he can’t believe he’s in the presence of this angelic being. Right behind Seymour is an old, worn fence, obviously from the non-posh side of the alley. These are the people you’ll be meeting in this book. I hope you’ll love them like I do.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Text Publishing for the opportunity to renew my love for this classic Australian novel.

"Breakfast at Tiffany's" for the Younger Set

This is a lovely book. Heartbreaking, cautiously optimistic, and ultimately affirmative. Like Holly Golightly and maybe even Sally Bowles our heroine Angie is gay, sad, independent, and damaged. She's burdened by her past and uncertain about her future, and the story told here is both her story and the story of observant, timid and perceptive thirteen year old hero Seymour.

"Breakfast...", to me, is almost unendurably sad, cast as it is in shades of black and grey, and leaving its main characters rather lost and hopeless. That's why I say that this book is aimed at a younger readership. Both Angie and Seymour end up the better for their adventures, with both being at least offered paths up and out of their personal dilemmas.

The book opens slowly, but elegantly. Seymour undertakes to explore his new neighborhood, (that's how he ends up first meeting Angie), and this section of the book reads like one long, beautifully crafted, deeply atmospheric tracking shot. By the time Seymour meets Angie we know pretty much everything we need to know about the setting and about Seymour. Angie's appearance is like a lightning strike; well, she is so languid and mellow it's more like shimmery heat lightning. From that point on the reader is transfixed.

There's a reason why this book was celebrated and awarded when it came out over twentyfive years ago, and why it is still vibrant and pertinent and rewarding today. It is beautifully conceived, framed, crafted, and written, and lays out a clear and compelling standard for quality YA literary fiction. A great discovery.

(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

A brilliant coming of age story. We should never under-estimate the power of kindness, coming from anyone at any age.