'Solo drew me in, and involved me totally. Alyssa Brugman breaks your heart and makes you smile - almost at the same time.' Maureen McCarthy'Mackenzie's voice is tough, but poignant too. You want to hang around to the very last word to make sure she's okay.' Melina MarchettaI thought about Callum first. I imagined his face from every angle. Him smiling at me over some shared joke, one that I'd instigated, shocking him into a delighted laugh - tipping the balance in my favour just for an instant. Then ugly, perverse thoughts barged in like bullies. All those thoughts I'd pushed aside, dammed, saw their opportunity to attack with renewed vigour. Out here there wasn't a thing to distract me. That was the whole idea of going solo, wasn't it? I wondered if isolation could send you mad. But I was already nutty, so maybe it would send me sane.After yet another outburst, Mackenzie is sent to a Wilderness camp - 24 hours alone in the Australian bush - to confront her past, her family and her demons. That's when things start to unravel...

 

This book was recognised by the Victorian Premier's Literary Award. It was recognised in the YA category by the Young Adult Fiction Award.

There are 180 pages in this book. This book was published 2009 by Allen & Unwin .

Alyssa Brugman This is a first novel by this talented young writer who was shortlisted for the Australian Vogel Literary Award.