The Raising

The Raising
Laura Kasischke
Release date: 1/08/11
Allen and Unwin
4 out of 5 STARS
Audience recommendation: Lovers of mystery and thrillers


Firstly, I am so glad there are no ‘sororities’ in Australian universities – well there certainly weren’t any of these ‘clubs’ when I studied.
Secondly, be prepared...you will not want to put this book down. So give yourself at least a day or two to hide yourself away and completely immerse yourself in this novel.
Lastly, be prepared... to have the urge to read through the book again when you have finished!


When a beautiful, blonde, straight A sorority American 'girl next door' ends up dead after a car accident that shows no sign of blood or supposed 'carnage that would lead to death' - many questions are asked and the university students and teachers lives are put in turmoil. What happened to her? Did her boyfriend cause the accident? Why was there no blood or damage? Why are students apparently still seeing her around campus? What are her mourning sorority sisters trying to cover up?

‘The Raising’ by Laura Kasischke stirs up a plethora of emotions whilst reading. Readers will feel anything from curiosity, disgust, bewilderment and shock and not a lot of ‘happiness’, but believe me this works in the book’s favour! This is a fantastically thrilling read that examines the issues of relationships, death and sororities. What interested me most was the subject of sororities and their secret pacts and ceremonies. The fact that sometimes these secrets get out of control and really hurt the students that seem to allow their lives to be so defined by their ‘codes’ - amazed me. But there is even more depth to this tale and that is due to an exceptional cast of characters – they are all lifelike, dimensional and make you either loath them or love them and definitely question them and their motives.

At first it is a little hard to get use to the fact that Kasischke intertwines the sequence of plots, so you are continuously moving from past to present. Once you get the ‘feel’ of this you can appreciate the book more and totally get sucked into it. The conclusion is satisfying but will give you the desire to read the book again allowing you to pick up on any clues as to how the events unfolded (once you know the reasons for what actually did occur). This is not an uplifting book – it is about death and our obsession with it so it is somewhat sad, frustrating and depressive - but it is most definitely entertaining and educational in a way.

But as I initially mentioned, be warned, you will not want to put this book down until the very end. 

This was the perfect read for my week long holiday in Bali - all I had to do was relax and read, and believe me that was what I did. I totally recommend it!