Sweet Damage in Aussie Readers

Jul 04, 2012 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own-read, 2013-release, aussie-authors, young-adult, australian-thriller

The casual laid back lifestyle that Tim Ellison had adopted since returning from Indonesia to Sydney made him happy – he was only young at not much past twenty years old, so the morning surf at Manly Beach and working for his father in their very popular restaurant were all he needed. He’d been crashed on the couch in his old girlfriend Lilla’s small unit and she was forever at him to get a “real” job and make something of himself. Finally she found him a room to rent, urging him to apply…

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Mar 03, 2013 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-are, provided-by-publisher, aussie-author

Sweet Damage is the second novel by Rebecca James. Her first, Beautiful Malice, gained international success for it's chilling story of twisted friendship.

In Sweet Damage, Tim, an easy going, twenty something kitchen hand who has been staying on his ex-girlfriends couch since his return from an overseas trip. When she insists he finds his own space he is thrilled to find an inexpensive room in a large house in the leafy Australian suburb of Fairlight. The only catch is his young, agoraphobic en
Sweet Damage is the second novel by Rebecca James. Her first, Beautiful Malice, gained international success for it's chilling story of twisted friendship.

In Sweet Damage, Tim, an easy going, twenty something kitchen hand who has been staying on his ex-girlfriends couch since his return from an overseas trip. When she insists he finds his own space he is thrilled to find an inexpensive room in a large house in the leafy Australian suburb of Fairlight. The only catch is his young, agoraphobic enigmatic housemate, and landlord, Alice, who is not only haunted by unspeakable tragedy, but perhaps something altogether more sinister.

I was immediately drawn to the premise of Sweet Damage, tantalised by the gothic overtones and the promise of a chilling mystery and I was barely a quarter of the way through when the first wave of shivers rolled over me. It wasn't the last time I felt that tingle of dread, the measured pace allows the suspense to build as the narrative weaves in and out of the past and present, before twisting unexpectedly.

Anna is such an interesting protagonist, and the ambiguity surrounding her character plays beautifully into the suspense. Her agoraphobia, her secretiveness and her difficulty interacting with Tim suggests she has something to hide and as strange things begin to happen in the house, it is understandable that Tim suspects her, especially since she is unable to deny any wrongdoing.

Tim is a little wary of Anna and her odd behaviour but with the arrogance of youth he is not really threatened by the odd occurrences at Fairview. Tim is more concerned with his on again/off again relationship with Lilla, his ex-girlfriend, with whom he admits an obsession. However Anna ignites his protective instinct and he is drawn to her vulnerability which contrasts so vividly with Lilla's brash personality.

The writing is finely crafted to create an atmospheric and gripping story of psychological suspense. Several suspects move in and out of the frame as the mystery unfolds. As the story reaches it's climax I thought perhaps Anna and Tim piece things together perhaps a little too quickly but the final confrontation is shocking and not everyone will see it coming.

I devoured Sweet Damage in a few hours, it is an easy yet engrossing read. I think it can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages (16 and up) and recommend it to those who enjoy spine tingling suspense.
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Mar 20, 2013 Bree T rated it liked it

Shelves: gothic, arc, young-adult, australian, aww2013

Tim Ellison is happy with his casual job as a cook at his father’s restaurant and spending his days surfing Sydney’s picturesque northern beaches. However he seems to be wearing out his welcome at his ex-girlfriend Lilla’s place where he’s been crashing on her couch. Her new boyfriend is getting testy about it so Lilla finds an add in the paper offering a cheap room to rent.

When Tim arrives to check out Fairview it’s not what he expects. The house is huge, a mansion in a beautiful location with Tim Ellison is happy with his casual job as a cook at his father’s restaurant and spending his days surfing Sydney’s picturesque northern beaches. However he seems to be wearing out his welcome at his ex-girlfriend Lilla’s place where he’s been crashing on her couch. Her new boyfriend is getting testy about it so Lilla finds an add in the paper offering a cheap room to rent.

When Tim arrives to check out Fairview it’s not what he expects. The house is huge, a mansion in a beautiful location with one lonely occupant named Anna, who suffers from agoraphobia. The home belonged to her parents and Anna still mourns them after their death in a car accident. With no friends other than the siblings Marcus and Fiona, Tim is expected to occasionally help Anna out by bringing her things she needs, in return for the cheap rent. He sees no problem with this but it doesn’t take long before he’s wondering if he made the right decision.

There is definitely something strange happening at Fairview. Tim wakes up and thinks someone is watching him in his room, he is left something nasty on his birthday, he gets locked out. Anna swears that she isn’t doing it but there’s no denying the fact that her behaviour is beyond odd. At times she is easy to talk to and Tim can see the girl she would’ve been, before tragedy touched her. And at other times she is so closed off to him, distant and abrupt that he wonders just how fragile her mental condition really is. And who was Benjamin? There’s no denying that name means something but Tim is kept in the dark. As his feelings for Anna grow, so do the odd events. And Tim is wondering if this really was a huge mistake or is someone out to get them?

Sweet Damage is the second novel from Australian author Rebecca James and it’s a modern day gothic style story, revolving around a large, beautiful house on Sydney’s northern beaches and the lonely inhabitant within, Anna. Our narrator is Tim, a young and carefree type of guy – he’s not one to want to be tied down by a career and he’s not buckling down to save for a mortgage for his own piece of northern beaches real estate. He’s the sort of guy who’s happy getting up, going for a surf, having a lazy day and then working a dinner shift at his dad’s restaurant.

Anna has had tragedy in her life the past couple of years which has led to her agoraphobia and she spends most of her days sitting up in the attic of the large house, thinking. Reliving. Grieving. Even though she’s very withdrawn, you can see at times she appreciates Tim’s attempts at friendship and she tries to reciprocate. She’s damaged, she’s scarred but you can still see the person underneath that is just waiting to emerge again. Tim is good for Anna, because he’s the sort that doesn’t pry necessarily, but he attempts in his own way, to look after her. He doesn’t take offence at her often-abrupt moods and he copes better than I would at the creepy and often downright weird goings on at the mansion. It isn’t long before Tim and Anna develop some shy feelings for each other but there are other people around to complicate matters, namely the mystery of Benjamin and also Tim’s ex-girlfriend Lilla who doesn’t really want Tim but perhaps doesn’t want anyone else to have him either.

I enjoyed the delicate way the relationships between the characters were explored in this novel and the way in which James kept me guessing on several key things all the way to the end. Whilst I felt for Anna, I was never quite sure what was going on in her head and that kept me nicely on edge, trying to figure out if she was self-sabotaging her blossoming friendship/relationship with Tim or not. I do love a book that keeps me guessing and I really wanted to like Anna, to give her my sympathy but at the same time, the story was clever enough to keep me wondering, just a little bit, if she was a total whack-job.

I enjoyed James’s first novel, Beautiful Malice but I think I liked this one even more. Sometimes the second book can be a very difficult one for authors, having proven you can do it, you now have to repeat it. I think that Sweet Damage is a very worthy second novel, well constructed and written in a way that makes it all too easy to simply sit back and spend an afternoon between its pages. It’s part mystery, part gothic-inspired thriller, part investigation and exploration of grief, love and how the mind can be so fragile. ...more

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Mar 31, 2015 Paula Phillips rated it really liked it

It's time for Tim to get off his ex-girlfriend's couch and find his own place in this world and so he finds a boarding situation with a girl called Anna. Her parents passed away and she was left their estate and needs a flatmate. When Tim finds this place, he can't believe his luck. Though things aren't always what they seem as Anna as agoraphobia and cannot leave the house, she has been this way for the past six months - since she lost Benjamin. As the story goes on, we discover strange things ...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Jenny rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2013

This is an enjoyable read. James' characters are good, chapters short, which I like, and the plot sound. What I didn't like was the decision to put the chapters from Anna's viewpoint in italics. Since the story is told more or less equally from Anna and Tim's perspectives, there's no need for a different - harder to read for some - font. Those who are expecting an edge of the seat, nail biting climax will be disappointed. ...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Beccy rated it really liked it

Shelves: amazing-reads, favorites, libary, read-in-2014

wow what a book from the moment I started it I couldn't stop was one of those books that were hard to put down. What an ending wasn't expecting that. It was suspenseful but not as scary as the hype made it out to be but still a great book :) ...more

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