Review: The Temperature by Katerina Gibson

What do six very different people have in common? One tweet, concerns of climate change, the fractured nature of modern life and the fact that each are living in their own, very seperate bubble that others cannot understand. In The Temperature Katrina Gibson takes the reader through the lives of six very different people, whose lives intersect in a surprising way. There is Fi, a young woman who unpopular, angry and surrounded by people who don't have her best interests at heart. She's also the author of one tweet that gets her fired, and another that gets her former employer Lexi fired. Then there is Sidney, Lexi's much younger ex, Tomas, Sidney's former housemate. Gotivia, Sidney's best friend and Henry a Vietnam veteran living in isolation round out the six characters.  

Very few authors can claim to be award winning writers before the release of their debut novel, but Katerina Gibson has the rare distinction of being just that. With that kind of honour which, in turn leads to pressure and expectation, how does her debut The Temperature stack up? Quite well. Gibson has a unique talent for getting into the heads of her characters and creating people and situations that feel extremely realistic regardless of their age, class or situation. As the novel moved from Fi to Sidney and then to Tomas, then Lexi I discovered character and their inner workings is handled with care and demonstrates a unique insight into human nature. I very much enjoyed this for these insights, though I found the subject matter depressing. (Or depressingly real, perhaps?)

Overall, an insightful novel that perfectly captures the turmoil of the past few years.

Recommended.

Thank you to Scribner/ Simon and Schuster Australia for my ARC of The Temperature. 

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