Drawing Nudes While Making Other Plans is an interesting, aptly named book, though its title is only the beginning of the attention-grabbing aspects of this novel.
It takes place largely, as its name suggests, in a room full of young artists drawing the human nude at the Australian Art School. This at first disconcerting setting turned out to be the perfect place for the protagonist’s journey to unfold. What better place to tell a story about discovery and overcoming boundaries than in an environment where so many of them are challenged? This being said, the novel was not an overly graphic read, and apart from the first instance, most scenes that occurred in this setting were not entirely uncomfortable.
This contemporary coming of age story follows art student Cleo Markson as she embarks on a journey of grief, self-discovery and love. Cleo was never the outgoing one. She wasn’t the friendly one, or the pretty one, or the one who could talk to boys and not feel like her face was set on fire. That was her sister. Emmy would have wanted her to do the four-week art programme at the Australian Art School, not spend the summer agonising over year twelve and… other things. So that’s what Cleo’s going to do, if only to avoid her mother’s constant jabber about the importance of ‘moving on.’ This means she has to set out on the first new experience of her life without the help of her sister’s plans: the in-depth, 101 guides to life Emmy created for her sister so Cleo wouldn’t stumble through high school quite so much like an awkward, new-born fawn. But she doesn’t have that this time. She’s going to have to figure it out all by herself. Even if that means spending four weeks in a room full of strangers. Drawing naked people.
Gaetjens writes abount the art itself: the process of creation, the nagging attempts at perfectionism, the inevitability of flaws, and the heady emotional aspect that fuels innovation. This, when translated through Cleo’s own feelings and journey, allowed for a unique, new exploration of common themes.
Cleo was, at times, a frustrating character, which only reiterated how relatable she was to the reader. The moments of self-doubt, uncertainty, jealousy, and most importantly, teenage awkwardness, emphasised the books message and showed how important Cleo’s evolution was, because its one that everyone must go through, if they haven’t already. Much like with her art, she has to struggle with her own imperfection, until settling with the fact these very imperfections give her and her work room to grow.
While romance can be a good medium for such a message, its manipulation in this book was somewhat rudimentary. The love interest, Mattias, just barely qualified as having a personality, which mostly amounted to his childhood trauma, and this lack of depth sullied any possibility for a charming love story.
For readers aged 16 to 18.
Warning: contains nudity, family death, underaged drinking and bullying.
