Lost In Static is the debut novel from Christina Philippou.
Just published by Urbane Publications, it is a coming-of-age novel that will appeal to a YA audience, as it deals with events surrounding the first year in residence of a group of young people at university.
I received my copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest & unbiased review.
Book Blurb:
‘Sometimes growing up is seeing someone else’s side of the story.
Four stories. One truth. Whom do you believe?
Callum has a family secret. Yasmine wants to know it.
Juliette thinks nobody knows hers.
All Ruby wants is to reinvent herself.
They are brought together by circumstance, torn apart by misunderstanding. As new relationships are forged and confidences are broken, each person’s version of events is coloured by their background, beliefs and prejudices.
And so the ingredients are in place for a year shaped by lust, betrayal, and violence..’
Lost In Static is the story of four random individuals who share accommodation on the campus of a university.
The inevitable interaction of all four leads to quite a bit of drama, tension and general high jinks that is generally associated with students.
Each character has their own individual story to tell.
Ruby, is the main character in the book for me. Her story is quite a common one in any university. She is a tom boy, loves sport and her appearance is not quite top of her agenda. Ruby has no sinister story to tell and just wants to fit in. Throughout the novel, we get an insight into a lot of the thoughts that are circling around in Ruby’s head, giving the reader the opportunity to see how the actions of others affect the person in the now.
Yasmine is the one character I really did not like. Her actions are quite disturbing and the malice with which she delivers snide remarks to her fellow residents, in order to achieve what she understands to be the popular vote, is really just damaging and malicious.
Callum is a bit of a weak character in my eyes. While he attempts to maintain a secret in his life, he does come across as a cocky, over indulged young man used to getting his way with his good looks and cheeky personality.
Juliette is the character I had most empathy for. She seems troubled and uneasy with her new environment. Coming from quite a religious background, the scene on campus is causing confusion and stress in her life. Juliette longs to fit in and relax her thoughts but the church (and her mother) have a very strong pull on her, leaving Juliette quite confused and laden down with permanent guilt.
All four characters jump right into the college scene, getting caught up in endless drinking games, all night partying, smoking weed and a fair bit of bed hopping.
I went to university. I lived with my family, as the university was quite near, but I had many friends who lived in flats and campus accommodation. I did witness my fair share of partying and socializing, as is described by Christina Philippou in Lost In Static.
The thoughts that these teenagers are having are very well portrayed in the book. I remember having the same feelings about fitting in. Would people like me? Was I cool enough? Their story is common across all campuses.
In the eyes of these four kids, the drama attached to every action and reaction is typical of that age group. How often, as an adult, are you sitting in a cafe, on a bus, in a queue and you can’t help but hear the ‘O.M.G’ in a conversation.
In reading Lost in Static, there were parts that I initially thought were over-exaggerated and irritating. But then I thought back to my college days when we spent more time sitting in the college bar, dissecting the actions from the night before, with some friends never even having made it home yet.
Lost In Static is not about adults. This book is about four kids who have just left school. They have been pushed out into a world that will chew them up if they don’t make their mark. They are confused, sometimes traumatized and most definitely way too drunk on many occasions.
But that is life at university. It is all about trying to fit in, about being accepted and about finding out who you are.
Christina Philippou has written a book that will appeal to a certain generation. I’m not so sure it’s an advisable read if you have kids heading off or have just started out in college life, as some of the behaviour is quite shocking and disturbing.
In rating this book I took off my sensible adult head and looked at it from a teenage perspective. I would highly recommend it to the 16+ generation. It shows what can happen when things get a little out of hand and how your actions really can affect all those closest to you in ways you hadn’t imagined. I think it will probably be an eye opener for some and for others it is what they look forward to in those formative years from 17 to 21 when every drama is HUGE!!!
To buy a copy of Lost In Static please click here : https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1910692700
Meet the Author:
Christina’s writing career has been a varied one, from populating the short-story notebook that lived under her desk at school to penning reports on corruption and terrorist finance.
When not reading or writing, she can be found engaging in sport or undertaking some form of nature appreciation.
Christina has three passports to go with her three children, but is not a spy.
Lost in Static is her first novel.
Christina can also be found tweeting at: https://twitter.com/CPhilippou123
Or at her blog ‘Writing round the block ~ Plotting. And reading. Lots of reading.’
over at: https://cphilippou123.com/
