Kissing Annabel: Love, Ghosts, and Facial Hair; A Place Like This

Originally released in Australia as two separate works in 1996 and 1998 respectively, KISSING ANNABEL is a compilation of two related stories in poetry. The majority of the work is told by Jack. In the first story, his mother has been dead for seven years. He struggles to overcome the ghost of his mother. He turns to his sister, Desiree, for advice on clothes, girls, and even sex. Everything he'd have turned to his mother for. His father is drowning in his own grief, so the two haven't had a meaningful conversation in years. It's only after Jack finally gets the nerve to ask Annabel out does he start to overcome his grief. He has been attracted to Annabel for ages, but has always been shy and afraid to approach her. The two soon spend all their time together, and because of Annabel, Jack can finally say goodbye to his mother properly. In the second story, two years have passed, and Jack and his family have moved on. But Jack is restless. He's done with school and has dropped out of university, finding it pointless. After talking to his dad, his father gives his consent to let Jack and Annabel take the year off to travel. Jack and Annabel set off in a brown car that his father helped him buy. Annabel takes the trip with a grain of salt. She knows it won't turn out to be the trip that Jack envisions. To prove her point, after the second day, they run out of gas and find themselves working at an apple orchard. At the orchard they meet George and his family. Emma is his sixteen-year-old daughter, who is pregnant and doesn't know the father. But Emma is growing up quicker than she had planned. Watching the devotion between Annabel and Jack gives her new purpose in her life and the baby growing inside of her. Though the stories were written more than ten years ago, they seem just as relevant today as they did then. Told in a timeless way, Jack, Annabel, Emma, and the rest of the characters grow and come to learn more about themselves and the others around them. Beautifully written, the stories will stay with you long after the cover has been closed. (Note: There is a lot of sexual content in this book, which might not be suitable for all readers.) Reviewed by: Jaglvr

I enjoyed this book very much. I am a fan of Steven Herrick's books in general, but I have to say this one is not my favorite of his works. If you are new to Steven Herrick I would recommend "The Simple Gift" which is my favorite. What I enjoy so much about all of his works is that while he writes in verse, the story unfolds quite clearly and naturally. The plot line isn't told directly, rather the story unfolds slowly through small scenes and images and thoughts from the characters. One snippet might be about one of the characters looking at herself in the mirror, but so much is said about the characters, their history and their emotions. The issues in all of his works, including this one, are very real to life, and in some ways very heavy, but they are not really depressing because the story is told in such a light simple way. This is such a different and refreshing way to read a book, please read this and other Steven Herrick stories because they are always beautiful.