DI Walker, English teacher at Notre Dame College, has released her latest novel, Every Thing We Keep.
The book follows the journey of 13-year-old Agatha as she struggles to work out how she can love her parents but not live with them. After a family tragedy, Agatha’s parents can no longer care for her. She has spent several years in foster care and wants to remain with her foster carer, Katherine.
Di’s 10 years’ experience as a trauma and adolescent counsellor has garnered her insight into the complexities of the many issues faced by young people.
“Reading fiction has always been a part of my life and I think it opens up the world, can help us see things from another perspective. Sometimes a character can say something at just the right time the reader needs to hear it,” said Di.
In a world dominated by online platforms and social media for entertainment, a love of reading and writing in young people can be reignited through written works which adolescents relate to and identify with, novels exactly like Di Walker’s.
“I think there are a lot of young people who love reading and writing but maybe just don’t talk about it. That has certainly been my experience with my books – I have had a lot of conversations with people who are working on a story, or reading a series and want to talk about the writing process,” said Di.
Di’s latest novel follows the success of her first novel, Unpacking Harper Holt.
As to whether we can see more novels from Di in the future, “I have a few manuscripts on my computer that are a third of the way through,” she hints.
Every Thing We Keep was launched at Collins Booksellers Shepparton April 17 and is available online and instore.
