Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

Title: Graffiti Moon
Author: Cath Crowley
Pages: 244
Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Release Date: August 1, 2010

"Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."

It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.

His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.

Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.

But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.

My Thoughts:

"...we watch the dirty silk of the factory smoke float across the sky."

I loved that there was a lot of graffiti and mentions of glassblowing in Graffiti Moon. Photographs of urban decay featuring old, abandoned buildings and factories are my favorite form of art to look at, but graffiti is a close second. Whenever I see graffiti sprayed on the wall of a building or painted on the side of a boxcar moving along the railroad tracks, I always wonder, 'Who made that? When did they do it? Why did they do it? And where are they now?' It just blows my mind, and it's one of the reasons why I loved this book.

Lucy wonders about the graffiti made by the artist who calls himself Shadow. She finds Shadow's work to be extremely inspiring, and she is determined to figure out his identity so that she can meet him in person. She wants to tell him everything she feels whenever she sees his work...and what she feels for him because of it. But she's been searching for Shadow for awhile now and it seems she misses him by mere minutes every single time. Then one night, Lucy and her friends meet a few guys from school who claim to know Shadow. One of the guys is Ed, someone she has a history with and doesn't want to be around. But she's willing to endure Ed's company for the night if hanging out with him means finally meeting Shadow.

Aussie cover

I have read one other book by Cath Crowley (A Little Wanting Song, which I loved!), and she has already made my favorite authors list. I absolutely love her writing. Her characters are extremely likable and funny, and they have such great relationships. I could easily relate to Lucy, and she was spunky and just completely awesome. Ed... I adored him. I want my own Ed. Lucy seems to have gotten the wrong impression of him because I think he's actually the kind of guy you want to be around. In the book, Ed takes Lucy on an adventure through the city to see more of Shadow's graffiti. I thought the atmosphere and the setting were perfect. It made me want to be there with them, hanging out and exploring the city at night in search of amazing graffiti.

Like I mentioned, I always have questions whenever I see graffiti, and I felt Lucy and I shared the same curiosity. Who is this mysterious guy who fills her with so much inspiration? And where is he? Since Graffiti Moon is told in alternating point of views between Lucy and Ed, Shadow's real identity is quite obvious to the readers. However, I didn't feel it lessened the mystery or allure of Shadow, especially since Lucy truly has no idea. I always wonder if someone will live up to my expectations when I meet them, and for Lucy it's even more crucial because she's falling for Shadow. I was holding my breath for the moment when Lucy finally figures out who he is. Will he be like the Shadow she's imagined? Or will she end up being disappointed? I think moments like that are pretty priceless.

I cannot wait to read more novels by Cath Crowley because this was another book that I didn't want to end. I highly recommend Graffiti Moon to YA contemporary and Aussie fans. If you can't get a hold of this book and you desperately want to read it, don't worry. It will be published in the US on February 14, 2012 from Knopf Books for Young Readers. The cover is amazing, by the way. Be sure to check it out!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Thanks to Go Aussie Book Tours! :)
The factory picture is by PET.