Book Review: The Mimosa Tree by Antonella Preto

Antonella was born in Western Australia to Italian migrant parents. She has a Bachelor of Arts in English, with a major in Literature Language and Culture and a minor in Film and Television. Over the years she has worked on numerous film, music and writing projects, and while she has always sustained an interest in writing, The Mimosa Tree is her first completed novel. Professionally she has worked as a technical writer, trainer, graphic designer, gardener, ‘check-out-chick’ and most recently a counsellor and psycho-educator. 

It’s the summer of 1987 and Mira is beginning her first year at uni. She’s got a radical new haircut, and an all-black wardrobe — she should be having the time of her life. 

But it’s hard to get excited about anything when you’re being smothered by your crazy Italian family, enrolled in a course you’re not interested in, and expecting nuclear warfare at any moment. 

Even a new best friend and the magnetic boy from art class can’t wipe away the image of a looming mushroom cloud. And Mira’s right. Her world is about to explode, but it’s not the skies she should be checking.

The main character of this book, Mirabella Verdi, or Mira as she is more popularly called is someone who’s not easy to like. She’s different because she doesn’t conform to the norm, much to the disappointment of certain people in her migrant Italian family living in Australia. She dresses differently, has weird taste in music and is a loner who doesn’t have any friends. She gives people the impression that she doesn’t care about anything. She accepts who she is and doesn’t try to hide how different she is. 

It is because of these traits that I initially wasn’t too fond of Mira. I couldn’t relate to her. But I guess, that’s what makes her character so effective. As a reader, I really felt what people in her life probably thought of her – that she’s too weird, too depressed, too different. So, with that thought in mind I proceeded to read the book and discovered that there’s more to Mira than I initially thought.

The beauty of this book is in its authenticity. If you’re looking for an easy, light read then this is probably not the book to read. The seriousness of it’s plot is for the mature reader. The story deals not only with Mira’s growing pains as a freshman in university but also with her relationships with her family and friends. It tells of how much she loves her mother who has cancer, of her disgust for her father and of how she deals with two very different aunts. 

The story is actually easy to relate to but can be sad and depressing at times. But isn’t life that way too? Life is not all about happy times and this novel does a good job in depicting a challenging time in one young woman’s life. Although I have to admit, I got irritated with Mira on certain parts of the book because I didn’t get her reactions to things. I didn’t get how stubborn and difficult she was. But I guess, that’s just part of who she is. 

One of the things I just didn’t get was Mira’s friendship with Harm. I get why she was attracted to him. Even good girls get attracted to “bad guys” too, right? But a guy who wears eyeliner? Okay, maybe that was just Mira’s taste. However, the relationship was just too weird for me. I guess, in the end, Harm’s character had a purpose though.

What I found really interesting is Mira’s friendship with Felicia, who’s her exact opposite. She’s perky and funny and “normal”. I almost expected her to be a mean girl so it was refreshing to find out that she actually liked Mira for who she is and saw through her tough act. Because in reality, Mira’s actually lost and struggling to find her place in the world, trying to balance what she wants for herself and what her family wants for her. That I could relate to. 

I could also relate to her grief about her mom. I could relate to the times she wished that things can just go back to the way they were. I could relate to her fear of change and her fear of having to step up and be a grown up. I guess, deep inside, Mira’s not that different from most of us after all. 

As a whole, I liked the book because it’s refreshing and real. I’d recommend it for those who don’t mind reading something serious.