History Literature / OnTheJellicoeRoad

Running parallel is the story Hannah is writing about five kids twenty years earlier. Three of them are survivors of a horrific car accident and become students, one is a Townie, and the other is a Cadet. They meet and become friends, but it isn't long before things get worse, and keep doing so. [[spoiler: And as their story progresses, it becomes very apparent that these kids are not only real, but that they're heavily involved in the main story as well...]]

''On the Jellicoe Road'' (or ''Jellicoe Road'' for US/UK readers) is an Australian novel for young adults by MelinaMarchetta, author of ''Literature/LookingForAlibrandi'' and ''Literature/SavingFrancesca''. It's the story of Taylor Markham, the reluctant, newly-made leader of the students at the Jellicoe School (located in country New South Wales), as the annual underground war between the students, the nearby Townies, and the Cadets (Sydney boys who come for a six-week training exercise) begins. The closest thing she's got to a parent, Hannah, has mysteriously disappeared, just as Jonah Griggs -- the new leader of the Cadets, and the boy she ran away with a few years ago -- has come back. In between skirmishes and diplomatic fights for territory, she starts uncovering her past, and things take a rapid downturn...

''On the Jellicoe Road'' (or ''Jellicoe Road'' for US/UK readers) is an Australian novel for young adults by MelinaMarchetta, author of ''LookingForAlibrandi'' and ''SavingFrancesca''. It's the story of Taylor Markham, the reluctant, newly-made leader of the students at the Jellicoe School (located in country New South Wales), as the annual underground war between the students, the nearby Townies, and the Cadets (Sydney boys who come for a six-week training exercise) begins. The closest thing she's got to a parent, Hannah, has mysteriously disappeared, just as Jonah Griggs -- the new leader of the Cadets, and the boy she ran away with a few years ago -- has come back. In between skirmishes and diplomatic fights for territory, she starts uncovering her past, and things take a rapid downturn...

--> If those cadets come near my Year Sevens again, I will maim them.

''On the Jellicoe Road'' (or ''Jellicoe Road'' for US/UK readers) is an Australian novel for young adults by MelinaMarchetta, author of ''LookingForAlibrandi'' and ''SavingFrancesca''. It's the story of Taylor Markham, reluctant leader of her dorm houses in the underground battle between the students at Jellicoe School, the nearby Townies, and the Cadets (Sydney boys who come for a six-week training exercise). The closest thing to a parent she has, Hannah, has mysteriously disappeared, just as Jonah Griggs -- the new leader of the Cadets, and the boy she ran away with a few years ago -- has come back. In between skirmishes and diplomatic fights for territory, she starts uncovering her past, and things take a rapid downturn...

** Two young children are left with a child molester. [[spoiler: Taylor was the lucky one. Her friend wasn't.]]

Running parallel is the story Hannah is writing about five kids twenty years earlier. Three of them are survivors of a horrific car accident and become students, one is a Townie, and the other is a Cadet. They meet and become friends, but it isn't long before things get worse, and keep doing so.

* BloodOnTheseHands: While Jonah doesn't actually say the phrase, he does look at his hands and talk about regret.

* TalkingInYourDreams: [[spoiler: Webb dreamed of Taylor, which is where he got her name, and Taylor dreams of Webb, but she only knows him as 'the boy in the tree'.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Taylor and Jonah

* [[ParentalAbandonment Authority Figure Abandonment]]: Hannah mysteriously leaves at the start of the book, which kicks off the plot.

--> The book starts with the line: My father took one hundred and thirty-two minutes to die. I counted.
--> The last chapter has Taylor thinking [[spoiler: My mother took seventeen years to die. I counted.]]

* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Taylor to Jonah and [[spoiler: Tate]]. Webb to his entire team, especially Fitz. Hannah for Taylor.

* TheHeart: Webb was. It's combined with WeWereYourTeam and BreakingTheFellowship in that [[spoiler: once he dies, the group breaks up, unable to handle the trauma.]]

* DisappearedDad: [[spoiler: Fitz, to Jessa, and Webb, to Taylor, because Webb died.]]

''On the Jellicoe Road'' (or ''Jellicoe Road'' for US/UK readers) is an Australian novel for young adults by MelinaMarchetta, author of ''LookingForAlibrandi'' and ''SavingFrancesca''. It's the story of Taylor Markham, reluctant leader of her dorm houses in the underground battle between the students at Jellicoe School, the nearby Townies, and the Cadets (Sydney boys who come for a six-week training exercise). The closest thing to an adult she has - Hannah - has disappeared, just as Jonah Griggs -- the new leader of the Cadets, and the boy she ran away with a few years ago -- has come back. In between skirmishes and diplomatic fights for territory, she starts uncovering her past, and things take a rapid downturn...

* BittersweetEnding

* HarmfulToMinors

* RealityEnsues: [[spoiler: Tate dies, because ThePowerOfLove and a reunited family aren't going to stop cancer. Nobody ends up magically getting along well.]]

* TeamMom: Raffy
* TrueCompanions: There are two circles of close friends, tied by blood. The first is Narnie, Tate, Fitz, Webb and Jude, also known as [[spoiler: Hannah, Taylor's mom, the Hermit, Taylor's dad and the Brigadier]]. The second one is Taylor, Jonah, Raffy and Chaz.
-->'''Chaz''': What are you so sad about? We're going to know him for the rest of our lives.

* TheWorldTree: The Prayer Tree.

''OnTheJellicoeRoad'' (or ''Jellicoe Road'' for US/UK readers) is an Australian novel for young adults by MelinaMarchetta, author of LookingForAlibrandi and SavingFrancesca. It's the story of Taylor Markham, reluctant leader of her dorm houses in the underground battle between the students at Jellicoe School, the nearby Townies, and the Cadets (Sydney boys who come for a six-week training exercise). The closest thing to an adult she has - Hannah - has disappeared, just as Jonah Griggs -- the new leader of the Cadets, and the boy she ran away with a few years ago -- has come back. In between skirmishes and diplomatic fights for territory, she starts uncovering her past, and things take a rapid downturn...

** Same with Griggs' father- he did occasional nice things in between beating the shit out of his family, and Griggs fears that one day he'll forget about the bad things and start believing that he killed an innocent man.

** Towards the beginning, Taylor reflects on how many screw-ups are in her hall, saying they have three pyromaniacs and it's only a matter of time until they're all burned to death in their beds. [[spoiler:In the end it's an electrical fire, and everybody survives, but it still counts as foreshadowing.]]

--> ***

* InterruptedSuicide: Though Taylor didn't realize it at the time, [[spoiler: she was this to Jonah]]. She was also the reason [[spoiler: Tate's slow suicide took seventeen years]] instead of happening immediately. Subverted with [[spoiler: Fitz, aka the Hermit]], who Taylor had to watch die. [[spoiler: Tate]] and the rest of the group also may have interrupted [[spoiler: Hannah's]] attempt.

''OnTheJellicoeRoad'' (or ''Jellicoe Road'' for US/UK readers) is an Australian novel for young adults by MelinaMarchetta, author of LookingForAlibrandi and SavingFrancesca. It's the story of Taylor Markham, reluctant leader of her dorm houses in the underground battle between the students at Jellicoe School, the Townies, and the Cadets (Sydney boys who come for a six-week training exercise). The closest thing to an adult she has - Hannah - has disappeared, just as Jonah Griggs -- the new leader of the Cadets, and the boy she ran away with a few years ago -- has come back.

Running parallel is the story Hannah is writing about five kids twenty years earlier. Three of them are survivors of a horrific car accident and become students, one is a Townie, and the other is a Cadet.

* AbusiveParents:

* FriendshipMoment

* LukeIAmYourFather: Its played straight with Taylor, who finds out who her dad is [[spoiler: the boy in the picture]] and her aunt is [[spoiler: Hannah]]. This is played with for Jessa; Taylor (a third party) finds out her father is [[spoiler: the Hermit]] late in the story, but its unclear if Jessa connects her dad to [[spoiler: the person who killed himself]].
* MamaBear
** Trini, a side character, feels this way

** Tate, when she finds out [[spoiler: her neighbor left her daughter with a child molester]], goes berserk

* [[spoiler: SelfMadeOrphan]]

* TagalongKid: Jessa for Taylor.

* ThereAreNoTherapists: Taylor didn't seem to get any after her childhood, or watching [[spoiler: the Hermit]] kill himself in front of her. Averted in that its mentioned several times Jonah went to therapy.

* ChekhovsGun: That tunnel Jessa's always going on about, the one her father used to tell her about. It's just a myth, [[TemptingFate right]]?

* TheWoobie: ''Taylor''. And Jonah, too.