Being Jimmy Baxter by Fiona Lloyd (a Puffin Book from Penguin Random House)
Guest author post about Being Jimmy Baxter by Fiona Lloyd for Joy in Books at PaperbarkWords blog:
Uncertainty.
It’s an all too familiar word in the wake of the covid pandemic. It’s also the story for my gentle protagonist, 12-year-old Jimmy Branthwaite.
Leaving the everyday uncertainty of his unpredictable alcoholic dad, a seemingly innocent car-trip, (albeit a strange one hiding under a blanket) is the beginning of a new phase of uncertainty for Jimmy, when Mum takes him on the run from Dad. Starting again in a rural Australian town, with the new surname ‘Baxter’ (we’ve agreed to change one name, not two. Two’s too confusing for me.) Jimmy heads off to Mungo Creek Public School, and it is here that he begins Being Jimmy Baxter.
When I set out to write this book, there was never a doubt that this young man would triumph over adversity, but as to how, I had no idea. Driving alongside sparse yellow fields, I spotted a rusting shed, and there it was, a glimmer of Jimmy’s hope; an imaginary old man waiting (without knowing it) for someone to rescue him too. That’s when Mac was born and the pair were immediately inseparable.
Looking at the final copy, I seemed to have made a habit of throwing a whole bundle of ‘dark’ into this book, and yet Being Jimmy Baxter made me laugh the whole way through writing it. The characters presented themselves with countless quirks; new best-friend Debby with her blunt one-liners and ability to get her teeth stuck in an apple, Mac’s compulsive jigs to Elvis Presley’s vinyl croon, Jimmy’s recipe notes based on his love of eggs…the list goes on. Above all though, was Jimmy’s quest for ‘shiny’, a glimmer of light to hold onto through his dark rollercoaster ride.
Being Jimmy Baxter is set in the nineties, a perhaps odd era for today’s children to read about, but one that created a wealth of opportunities for world-building; nostalgia (for me!) and lots of research on lollies. Food features throughout, whether it’s a Freddo in the park, a Sunnyboy on the bus or Elvis’ Fools Gold Sandwich. I’ve yet to test that one out, but I did make Jimmy’s peanut butter and chip sandwich within five minutes of writing it down. Delicious 🙂
What wasn’t so delicious was diving into myself, as I confronted my own mental health journey and contemplated what truth I could take from a place where I hadn’t known what true was anymore. Putting the resulting choices into a twelve-year-old head, I felt pain for Jimmy as he navigated the twists and turns of anxiety through all life was throwing at him. Thank goodness for Mac, pottering around his tin shed, keeping himself to himself, knowing just what not to say.
Being Jimmy Baxter started out as a short story that swiftly had more to say. The process of writing was a pleasure and gave me something shiny to cling to during lockdown, home-schooling and, (as many people did) re-evaluating what life was all about.
That golden spark of hope ensured Jimmy kept tramping through the pages from adversity to accomplished acceptance of all that had gone before.
Being Jimmy Baxter is a gently humorous story about falling down, picking yourself up and discovering the best in the people around you.
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