Maryam Master is a screenwriter, playwright and author whose first two novels, Exit Through the Gift Shop and No Words were winners or shortlisted for numerous awards. Her latest, Laughter is the Best Ending has done the same.
Thirteen year old Ziba (Zee) is ‘not like other kids’: she reads Oscar Wilde and is cynical about the world. Zee doesn’t see this as a problem but her mother does so Zee is packed off to Camp Fusion to make friends. Here she meets Influencer Tiffanee – ‘spelt with two “e”s ‘cause my parents are idiots’ (p.30) — and twins Moses, who has a talent for cheating death and is allergic to everything, and Jonah, whose unfailingly positive outlook on everything becomes a little annoying at times.
When a child goes missing during a game of Murder in the Dark, Zee and her new friends decide to ‘go rogue’ and search for the missing camper on their own. In the process, Zee strikes up an unlikely friendship with Old Bat Viv who is, as Zee describes her, ‘a little extra’. A jazz singer in her youth, Viv is now an elderly recluse whose friendship with Zee gives her a new, albeit temporary, lease on life.
Master has cleverly created a format that is part novel, part screenplay and part lists, and Zee’s chatty and conspiratorial way of relating to her readers is always engaging. The illustrations by Astred Hicks perfectly suit the narrative and add to the humour. The result is a joyous romp through the mind of a quirky and independent teen determined to prove that it’s okay to be different. And lying beneath the humour are several serious messages about the fickleness of social media, and that notions of beauty go beyond skin deep.
Still, despite its undeniable appeal, Laughter is the Best Medicine — just like its main character Zee — isn’t perfect. While the characters are strong, and Zee’s voice is unique, some elements of the plot are far from convincing. But with its quirky format and lively characters, young readers are sure to love it — and maybe, after all, that’s the point.
Maryam Master is a screenwriter, playwright and author whose first two novels, Exit Through the Gift Shop and No Words were winners or shortlisted for numerous awards. Her latest, Laughter is the Best Ending has done the same.
