LN Book Review: Margot and Me by Juno Dawson
This is a lovely story that flips between 1998 and 1941. It follows fifteen-year-old Fliss, who moves with her mum from busy, bustling London, where Fliss attended private school, to a secluded farm in the South Wales countryside to live with her frosty grandmother, Margot. As her mum rests with an illness, Fliss discovers 16-year-old Margot's diary from when she herself was evacuated to the very same farm.
The story is both heart-warming and heart-breaking. As Fliss and Margot clash, Fliss realises she's not as not as unlike her grandmother as she once thought. Along the way Fliss learns secrets from the past which the protagonist finds a welcome escape from present day (1998) reality of bullies, crushes, farm life and, most importantly, helping her mum.
The key message of this story is simple: spend time with those you love, because the one thing none of us is guaranteed is time. This book does, however, manage to instil other lessons throughout - don't judge others, learn why people behave the way the way they do, it’s OK to be emotional, and it’s OK to cry if you're sad. This uplifting story ultimately tells the reader to go after your dreams.
This book entices you in and grips you as tangled webs are woven with issues still fought today (racism, homophobia and acceptance are battled with in 1941, 1998 and 2019). Although intended for a young-adult audience, it does contain strong language and some mild adult content, but it is a brilliant, well-researched novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.
