Closed, Stranger
Kate De Goldi
Penguin
1999

Closed, Stranger by Kate De Goldi depicts the complicated friendship between Max Jackson and Andy “Westie” Westgarth. They are both entering their first year of university and must juggle relationships, school, and complicated home lives. The stress of all this often sees Max and Westie turning to drugs to forget their problems. Of course, this will have repercussions and leads to tragedy later in the novel which will inevitably change both of their lives forever.

The title, Closed, Stranger, refers to the term used to describe the practice of placing non-biologically related children with adoptive parents.  Read more