Representation: Non-white character
Trigger warnings: Racism, death of a father, grief and loss depiction.

6/10, looking back at this it wasn't one of the best novels about social issues ever and I can definitely see that it isn't on the same level as a book like The Hate U Give however I still enjoyed this despite all it flaws but I probably wouldn't pick this up again since I probably wouldn't get much more out of it, where do I even begin. It starts off with the main character Rory who her father also called Aurora and she is part of some racist group but I don't know why she joined that but maybe it was to show the downward spiral she was on but anyways the group is about to plan the next racist attack when suddenly Rory has to do some community service by serving people in an aged care facility and I couldn't really relate to that when other than the fact that she doesn't become racist in the end and gets better at something she isn't really that relatable. In the facility she meets two major characters and one of them is called Jack and another is called Essam who is also a migrant boxer and that sets the scene for future events. A good chunk of the book revolves around Rory developing a bond and not an attraction with Essam since he trained her with boxing and in the end she comes out as a better person wrapping this up on a high note. ( )

'Go back to where you came from'

Becoming Aurora addresses a sensitive subject that couldn't be more topical. In her debut novel, Elizabeth Kasmer tackles the ugly underbelly of the 'Lucky Country' in thought-provoking ways. Kasmer's characterisation shines in Rory's interactions with those around her: from her star-crossed love affair with Iranian-born Essam, to the nurturing relationship she develops with father-figure Jack, to her changing friendship with troubled Cam. I enjoyed this relatively short read and look forward to more from this author. ( )

I loved the interaction between Rory and her geriatric friend Jack whom she meets in her stint of community service at the local jursing home. I just wasn't sure why she had joined in the racist vandalism of her gang - or joined the gang at all, she seems to have quite a nice life and no real problem with the 'boaties'. It is perfectly understandable that Rory is attracted to Essam (it's almost Juliet-Romeo-like inevitable), but it's not clear why she acted inside the gang originally, or why she took the blame for them. Maybe there were other sections that have been edited out?
Although it deals with an important topic, and offers some insights, the storyline doesn't fully enter into the mindset of the racists or their victims, so I didn't feel it helped me understand why the action had happened. However as a starter for conversations about this topic, this book is really important, and probably the indefinite nature of its exploration of young racist action would allow for fascinating discussions.
The storyline appears to take for granted that not being racist is the right way to be (I totally agree) - but surely a book that explores the inner life of someone who has vandalised Indian businesses just because they are Indian would make some sort of case for doing it? I think I hoped for more, and perhaps there is more coming. I would have enjoyed more extensive exploration of the motives, fears, desires, of Rory and the gang...and I guess that whenever one finishes a book wishing there had been more, it's a good thing! ( )