I {Heart} Jonah Griggs! A {NIN} Review of On the Jellicoe Road

Full Disclosure: The American title is Jellicoe Road, but after reading the book, I felt that the original Aussie title, On the Jellicoe Road was a more significant and better title. Therefore, I will ostensibly refer to the book as On the Jellicoe Road. It’s like Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as opposed to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Why change the title of the book? The author picked it for a reason and it must therefore have some significance. Read it and figure out why!

Anyhoo, enough of my soapbox-ing. I first found out about On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta via the Persnickety Snark (PS) book review blog. The blogger, Adele, had nothing but singing and glowing praises for this book and she made me want to find out why. Being the frugalista that I am, I checked it out from my local library. A benefit to the author being an Aussie is that she is not very well-known in the States and there are like NO HOLDS on her books, which means I got it right away. Since I am all about instant gratification, this was already a point in the book’s favor (just kidding). Normally, you’d think this meant that the book sucked but (1) I read PS and she convinced me otherwise, (2) I read the reviews on Amazon and they were great, and (3) I am inclined to think that the American youth is just clueless that this gem of a book exists. (Do you like how I threw in the word ‘gem’? It’s my first step towards eloquency!)

I will admit that it took me awhile to understand, comprehend, and get into this book. The storyline weaves back and forth between the past and present so you’re trying to get a handle on 2 casts of characters in 1 book. A few times, I had to go back and re-read chapters because I would confuse the characters.

Also, not being familiar with Aussie slang, I didn’t understand that “black” and “indigenous” meant “Aboriginal” in Australia, as you well know it means something else in the US. I never did learn what kind of dance “The Zorba” and “Wind Tunnel” are. And did you know that "pashing" is Aussie slang for "snogging" aka "kissing"?

I won’t bore you with a synopsis of the book since you can easily read that on Amazon; rather, I will wax poetic about everything I LOVED about the book.

Jonah Griggs

If my title did not give it away, then you are seriously dense. Jonah is the love interest in the book. He’s completely arrogant and rude at first, but you come to love him (or I did) as you learn and understand his story. I love that he is troubled and angsty, somewhat jealous but very protective of Taylor, and seeing their relationship progress in the end left me dying for more.

Beautiful Storyline

The story weaves between the past and present, between a group of 5 inseparable friends and Taylor's life in the present day. How the two tie together is wrapped up beautifully, piece-by-piece, throughout the book. Additionally, there is a side story in the present that is haunting as it indicates how life could have turned out for Taylor.

One minor note: something that is mentioned so often in passing (Jonah & Taylor's failed attempt to runaway when they were younger) turns out to be rather significant and really spooked me out...but if you blink, you’re going to miss it so PAY ATTENTION. Re-read if you have to. You’re going to want to anyways.

In reference to the Aussie title of the book vs. the American title...so much happens "on the Jellicoe Road" in this story that omitting just those first 2 words slightly changes the idea of this book. Especially since the author writes that refrain, "on the Jellicoe Road," several times throughout the book at significant points in the story.

Supporting Characters

Santangelo and Raffy

Good friends…great chemistry...you care what happens to them and warmed by their loyalty to their friends.

The Mullet Brothers

Say what? Yeah…MULLETS. You know on “How I Met Your Mother,” Robin says the ‘80s didn’t come to Canada until the ‘90s? Did mullets not come to Australia until the 2000s???

This book left me feeling melancholy yet hopeful at the end. The love story between Jonah and Taylor was super squeal-worthy, but I liked that the book wasn't completely focused on it. Rather, it was a sort of coming-of-age, learning to forgive and move on type of book. It was seriously the best book that I have read in a long, long time and has made me a Melina Marchetta fan.

I tried to get {Ja} to read On the Jellicoe Road ever since I finished reading it (about 3 months ago) and she kept putting it off because she wasn’t on a reading kick. I think she renewed the book like 3x before she finally got around to reading it, and as you can see from her book review, it was well worth the read.

So do not make the same mistake that {Ja} made - go forth and get thee this book now!