I was sucked into this book within seconds. Just reading the first few lines had shivers running through my entire body. And I was right to be. Because this book is one of the best contemporary fiction/romance books out there. While it lacks the historic aspects of ‘The Shadow Lines‘ it matched it in every way in terms of depth and character development and beautiful, beautiful, beautiful writing.

Jellicoe Road written by Melina Marchetta was published in 2006. It tells the story of 17 year old Taylor Markham, a senior in the Jellicoe High School who finds herself mired in the darkness of a tragedy that occurred many years prior to her birth. The story jumps between Taylor’s narration and the tragedy that has been penned down in the third person, by Hannah, her legal guardian, which reads as a story rather than a reality. And amidst all this are the historical territory wars played between three different schools every year when a faction of Cadets comes to visit Jellicoe, bringing along with them the enigmatic Cadet, Jonah Griggs.

I think the beauty of this book lies in how harsh reality can be. It doesn’t use exaggerated language to describe tragic events. But it describes it in simple language, like it is a fact of life, until it roots in you deeply. That this is, indeed, life. A culmination of ugly and beautiful things that most often we don’t get to choose. We get dealt a lot and it depends on how we play the cards. The realization crept upon me slowly, until the story settled within my skin. I couldn’t read a book for a few days after because it was hard to get this story out of my mind. And that in itself is the mark of a five star read.

I love how effortlessly Marchetta weaves the tale of Fitz, Tate, Web, Narnie and Jude that took place so long in the past alongside Taylor’s own story and interspersing it with the tiny amusements of the Territory war that allowed friendships to grow between Taylor and the contemporaries from the other school. There are enough light moments to balance the dark ones out so that the book doesn’t become a total grief fest.

One of the best parts of the novel is the blossoming romance between Taylor and Jonah. The chemistry is exquisitely written. With a complicated backstory, lots of soft moments that are lovely but don’d dip into cheesiness and crackling chemistry between the two with lots of banter, the romance is a beautiful part of the story. It ties together perfectly and every girl should be so lucky to possess a Jonah Griggs.

Taylor grows as a person in this book. She transform from a petulant teenager to those first steps of womanhood, accepting the friendships and romances and familial relationships in her life with open arms. The character development is very well done.

In the end, what’s left to say is that there is no aspect of this book for me to criticize. From the language, to the plot, to the characters, the two stories, every single thing was perfect. If I were to rewrite, I wouldn’t change a single thing. And that is the biggest compliment I would offer it, that I would read it as is for the many years to come.