This was my first Melina Marchetta book and I can guarantee that if the others are as good as this book, it won't be my last. 
 Taylor Markham's life is anything but perfect. Abandoned at the age of eleven on the Jellicoe Road, Taylor's past has always been full of mystery and hurt. When she discovers a story about five beautifully connected friends who met on the Jellicoe Road, and who's lives since have been forever woven together, Taylor wondering how much of this story is a reality, and more importantly how much of it is her own story. 
 The first thing I want to say about this book is that it's characters are so incredibly real. Their ideas, their fears, their frustrations, and their faults all take a hold of you and hold you to these two incredible stories. 
 It's not that this story had twists and turns that surprised me, because the end results were truly all I had anticipated. But the struggles each character took to get there were far beyond anything I'd ever expect from a young adult novel. The reality of our dependency on other human beings is so vivid in this story and plays a big part in the plot. We, as a people, NEED others to keep us strong, and motivated, and alive. That is what this story is truly about. The journey through life we all must take and the people we chose to take that journey with. This is a beautifully written masterpiece that I hope in the future will be taught in schools all around the world.