Checkers is a very powerful book that manages to combine complex and detailed themes into a short concise novel. It is written in an honest, direct language and concentrates mainly on human behaviours and the attitudes that people have. The author, John Marsden, manages to give the reader an effective insight into the mind of the main character, while also being careful not to reveal too much.

It is written through the eyes of a teenage girl in a psychiatric hospital. The girl never reveals her name throughout the entire novel, and at the beginning of the novel the reader knows very little about her. The novel is written in a journal form, which the girl writes as part of her therapy. Through her journal, the girl recounts the events that have occurred in her past, before she came to hospital. This gradually gives the reader information about the reasons that the girl is in hospital. The girl also writes about the six teenagers that she is in hospital with. Their honesty and openness provides a direct contrast to the lifestyle she led previously, in which power and money were important.

The girl herself is very secretive and withdrawn. The people she is in hospital with are largely unaware of her reasons for being there, as she talks very little about herself. The girl often enjoys analysing the way that the people around her interact.

Gradually the reader begins to understand what has caused the girl’s problems. Her father was involved in illegal dealings with the premier, and the resulting media attention causes a lot of stress on the family. Her family was quite wealthy and prominent people in society. They cared about people’s opinions, and the girl often felt uncomfortable in this situation. Through her journal, the girl expresses her interest in the obsession that her friends and family had with money and status in society.

Most of the novel is written about her life before being hospitalised. The chapters that are set inside the hospital help to demonstrate the superficial, power obsessed nature of the girl’s life prior to being hospitalised. It also helps to show to the reader how much her life has changed. The people who are her friends in hospital do not care about money or possessions, and the girl finds it difficult to believe that most of them have very little knowledge of the political scandal that has changed her life so dramatically.

The title "Checkers", refers to the girl’s dog. Checkers was bought for the girl at the beginning of the polital scandal, and he represents the only character in her life that she felt accepted her for who she was, regardless of money, power or status. Checkers was non-judgemental, and the girl had a close relationship with him. The ending of the novel is very powerful because of this.

John Marsden writes in a powerful style. The simple, direct style that the girl uses to communicate with the reader make it easier for the reader to see the emotional changes occurring within the main character. The reader feels as though they get to know all of the characters in the story. This novel concentrates a lot on human behavior, and how some small actions can greatly influence a person’s life. The girl is very easy to relate to, despite the fact that not many readers would have experienced the same things.