Pages: 250
Price: 16.95 Australian dollars. I've no idea what this is in real money, but it's not too much.
To order: In Australia the book is distributed by Pan Macmillan and widely available. Dymocks online also have it:
http://www.dymocks.com.au/
Or go to Lynne's website and tell her you got there from here:
http://www.lynnekelly.com.au

It is not often that you can say a book is utterly unique, and represents a unique achievement. This one is. This one does.

First of all, you should know that the author, Lynne Kelly, isn't really an author at all. In fact she isn't even 'arty'. By training and profession, Lynne is a maths geek of the highest order, being a very experienced and well-qualified teacher who gets invited to   international conferences and la-di-dah stuff like that.

However - and this is where the plot thickens - Lynne is also fascinated by beliefs and belief systems. She has a special interest in the way young people - especially young women - can be lured by the glittering mythologies of the psychic industry charlatans and religious cults.

A while ago, Lynne wondered how to explore some of these issues and at the same time extend a helping hand to those most at risk. She decided that one way would be to publish a novel. This is quite an ambition. There are grizzled, stubble-faced die-hards who spend their lives trying to get a book published.

But they ain't Lynne Kelly. Wrote it. Got it published. It's in the shops. Done! (This just goes to show that there are people walking around with more talent than is fair. They make the rest of us look unproductive and lumpy by comparison, and really we should take them to one side and quietly strangle them.)

I read this unique novel cover to cover while I was whizzing around Australia, and it really is an amazing piece of work. I'm not going to suggest you buy a copy. I'm going to suggest you buy two. One for yourself and one for someone who might benefit from it.

So what's it all about?

The story tracks the birth and progress of a new pseudo-science cult, from innocent 'prank' beginnings to something far more sinister, and explores the impact on the eponymous Janie and those who know her. The tale is craftily constructed to keep you reading - and guessing - right to the end.

It's tough for an author to dream up a wholly new pseudo-religious cult which is both fictional and yet sufficiently plausible to sustain a novel. Lynne solves this problem in a way which I found richly inventive. The cult in the book is based on a premise you have never heard of before in your life! Yet Lynne unfolds her story in such a way that I found the whole thing totally believable.

A long time ago I did my honours degree in English Literature. I've read most of the books that are considered 'classics' of literary fiction. Although I doubt 'Avenging Janie' will ever be on that list, it might be more important than many books that are. And it's certainly easier to read. I found the writing fluid and clear, and the main characters well-defined (especially that of the cult leader and of Janie herself).

You should buy this book first and foremost because, like all the best books, it's a good story, told well. Also, because it represents a unique achievement. Because it explores issues which matter in a highly readable way, without overt preaching. Because someone you know might just be on the verge of needing to read it. Most of all, because it might make you think about things in a new way.

Please do not write asking me anything else about this item. The author didn't ask me to advertise it, this is not a paid-for advert, and I make no money out of this book. I don't wish to deal with 6 questions a day about something I make no money out of.

"In order that a man may stop believing in some things, there must be germinating in him a confused faith in others. It is curious to note that almost always the dimension of life in which the new faith begins to establish itself is art"
- Ortega Y Gasset