Mary-Anne Scott’s The Mess of Our Lives is a compelling and emotionally charged young adult novel that confronts the harsh realities of family dysfunction, poverty, and neglect. With a sharp eye for character and a nuanced approach to difficult subject matter, Scott’s stories are both heartbreaking and hopeful. Through the perspective of seventeen-year-old Jordan Baxter, the novel explores the impact of hoarding on a family, balancing the visceral discomfort of his living conditions with his desperate longing for escape.
From the outset, Scott immerses readers in Jordan’s world, where his mother’s compulsive hoarding has rendered their home virtually unliveable. Forced to retreat to a caravan in the backyard, Jordan struggles to maintain a semblance of normalcy while hiding the truth from his classmates and teachers. His younger sister, Tabitha, remains in the house, her health deteriorating due to their mother’s neglect. The contrast between Jordan’s meticulously kept caravan and the chaotic squalor of the house serves as a powerful metaphor for his attempt to assert control over his life amid overwhelming disorder.
At the heart of the novel is Jordan’s internal conflict: his desire to break free from the oppressive weight of his mother’s hoarding and his deep sense of responsibility for Tabitha. While Jordan’s music provides him with an outlet and a possible future beyond his current circumstances, his guilt over leaving his sister behind complicates his plans. Scott captures this tension with raw honesty, depicting Jordan’s anger and frustration in a way that feels deeply authentic. His resentment toward his mother is palpable, yet it is tempered by moments of reluctant understanding, as he grapples with the realisation that her illness is beyond her control.
One of the novel’s strengths is its unflinching portrayal of the impact of neglect on children. Jordan and Tabitha’s experiences are rendered with painful realism, from the stigma Jordan faces at school due to his tattered clothing and inability to shower regularly to the physical and emotional toll their living conditions take on Tabitha. The novel does not shy away from depicting the helplessness of children caught in dysfunctional family dynamics, but it also offers glimpses of support through compassionate adults who recognise their plight. Jordan’s music teacher, in particular, emerges as a crucial figure, encouraging his talent and helping him apply for a scholarship that could provide him with a future beyond the wreckage of his home life.
Scott’s depiction of social services and the state’s intervention in Jordan and Tabitha’s lives is largely sympathetic. Police officers and mental health professionals are portrayed as well-meaning, if belated, responders to the crisis. While this perspective may overlook the systemic failures that often characterise state intervention, it serves the novel’s ultimate emphasis on personal resilience and the possibility of change.
The Mess of Our Lives is an engrossing and affecting read, offering an unfiltered look at a painful reality while maintaining a strong emotional core. Scott’s ability to capture the voice of a teenage boy navigating immense hardship lends the novel authenticity, making it an invaluable read for young adults and adults alike. While the novel resists the temptation of an overly tidy resolution, it provides a sense of hope—one grounded not in grand, sweeping change, but in the small, significant choices that shape our futures.
Reviewer: Chris Reed
One Tree House