Catch Me If I Fall

Ashleigh and Aiden Delatour are identical twins living in a posh home with doting parents who do everything they can to ensure the children’s privileged lifestyle. The parents look after their children, and the twins, in turn, have pledged to look after one another. This mini-Utopia doesn’t last, however. Aiden is involved in an accident, suffers a major trauma and thereafter seems to change dramatically. As Ash digs into what might be going on with her brother, she discovers a family secret which completely upends her comfortable life and the assumptions which go with it.

The novel is told from the point of view of Ashleigh who is a precocious 13-year-old. She can be impulsive and rebellious and is self-centered enough that she never questions her upper class lifestyle. Readers’ first impression of Ash is that of a spoiled brat who is hard to like. As her life changes around her, Ash changes as well, and, by the end of this coming-of-age novel, she is quite a different person. Aiden, on the other hand, is quiet and more responsible when readers first meet him. He is protective, almost overly so, of his impetuous sister. After his injury, he also seems very different – more outspoken, more prone to emotion, and more concerned with the world outside his cloistered existence and what he might do to improve it.

As the novel moves along, readers not only see the changes in the twins and in their relationship with one another, but readers realize that the family dynamic is not what it seems on the surface. Mum is a high-powered engineer who makes a great deal of money in the field of artificial intelligence. Dad is a stay-at-home man, content to watch over the twins and keep the household running smoothly. The dysfunction which is an undercurrent of the Delatours’ life gradually becomes something neither parents nor twins can ignore.

The setting is a post-apocalyptic Australia which has been badly damaged by the effects of climate change. The map no longer resembles that of the present-day continent. Millions of people have died; food and resources are in short supply. Animals are no longer kept for the production of meat and even pets aren’t allowed. There is a one child per family government policy which is strictly adhered to unless a woman gives birth to twins or triplets.

Barry Jonsberg, an acclaimed Australian young adult fiction writer, tackles a variety of difficult themes in this novel. The setting of a post-apocalyptic world not only introduces the theme of the devastating effects of ongoing climate change but also presents readers with a society filled with injustice and inequality which ultimately lead to poverty, unrest and distrust among the various tiers of citizens produced by these environmental and sociological changes. The themes of artificial intelligence and what its influence will be on future generations are also carefully considered in the novel. Like any scientific discovery, AI can be used for either good or evil. This novel gives readers glimpses of both sides of the coin.

The plot is interesting and unpredictable and moves forward at a steady pace. Jonsberg has incorporated plot twists in the story which add tension and apprehension to the book. Looking back, there are cleverly interwoven hints given by the author, but the surprise felt by readers is genuine as they work their way through the novel.

Catch Me If I Fall will appeal to young adults who like reading science fiction, whether it deals with environmental catastrophe or the ongoing integration of AI into society. The novel will also resonate with readers who enjoy a good drama, with family tensions and various plot maneuvers to keep them on the edge of their seats. Because the twin protagonists are just 13-years-old, the book seems aimed at this audience, but the larger moral and ethical questions it raises are guaranteed to appeal to older teen readers as well as to any adults lucky enough to come across Catch Me If I Fall.