Get Up Mum
Justin Heazlewood

Get Up Mum
Justin Heazlewood
Review
by Caitlin Cassidy
Justin Heazlewood’s debut memoir launches the reader into the seemingly innocent world of a pre-pubescent boy in 1990s Australia. Giddy with joy, twelve-year-old Heazlewood meticulously details the small events that cause a child so much excitement – athletics carnivals, getting crushes on girls, and the affection of family.
Yet he also contrasts this with the struggle of having to grow up too fast. Get Up Mum tells the story of young Heazlewood living alone with his mother, who suffers from mental illness. At her highs, she is an attentive, caring mother, yet at her lows she struggles to leave her bed.
As a boy on the cusp of puberty, Heazlewood tenderly expresses what so many of us ultimately face, a fear of time and remorse over the transience of moments. This feels all the more acute at an age characterised by first-times and self-discovery.
The lows in this tale are always complemented by affectionate highs. Heazlewood displays wonder at the world and its possibilities for delight – in his grandmother’s garden, in salty fish and chips, in swims in the sea. Littered throughout the novel are lines of poetry that almost startle, asking to be read and re-read:
It’s so early but it’s not night and the day hasn’t started yet.
The world is on pause.
Everything is set like jelly inside a fridge, waiting to be dug into with a spoon.
For now it’s soft and gentle.
Life is vivid through Heazlewood’s eyes, and we are immediately transported back to an Australia characterised by Keating, Rage and Carlton losing the footy. YetHeazlewood’s wishes are not the wishes of a normal young boy; they are for his mother’s health and a regular childhood.
Get Up Mum is a warm, humorous memoir about coming of age, and the deep love between two individuals who need each other equally.
Caitlin Cassidy works as a bookseller at Readings Carlton.
This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in 3-6 days
We are currently experiencing delays in processing and delivering online orders. Click here for more information.
Please note, our stock data is updated overnight, and availability may change throughout the day. Prices are subject to change without notice.Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.

The Girls
$32.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

On Drugs
$29.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

When You’re Not OK: A Toolkit for Tough Times
$19.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Unlike the Heart: A Memoir of Brain and Mind
$29.95Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Queenie: British Book Awards Book of the Year
$29.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Breaking Badly
$29.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
$35.00Buy now
Finding stock availability...

The Erratics
$22.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Germaine: The Life of Germaine Greer
$39.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Unfettered and Alive
$39.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

The Peter Norman Story
$34.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Speaking Up
$45.00Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Don’t Stop Believin'
$45.00Buy now
Finding stock availability...

No Spin
$49.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Challenge Accepted!
$32.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...

Sex, Drugs and the Electoral Roll
$32.99Buy now
Finding stock availability...