Rating: 4/5
Review:
Thoughtful and gripping - but bleak
I thought this was a good, thoughtful and gripping book for young adults. It is pretty dark and bleak, but well done and I read it pretty well in a single sitting.
The story is told by Mikey, an intelligent, articulate 15-year-old who suffers from a form of acute anxiety, including a type of agoraphobia and insecurity bordering on paranoia, which makes his life, and the lives of his parents and sister, a real struggle. He witnesses something terrible (we don't find out what until over half-way through the book) and the perpetrators are now pursuing him. His narrative voice is very well done, and we get a thoughtful, compassionate view of Mikey's problems, how hard things are for him and how terrible he feels about how his condition makes his family's life so tough, too. The writing is involving and convincing, with very believable characters and dialogue.
The story itself is no children's adventure with mild peril but no real threat - it's a grim and frightening tale in which genuinely dreadful things happen. It's a dark, threatening tale, which mirrors the terror Mikey experiences about much of everyday life and although there is real warmth in his family's love a redemptive note at the end, it most certainly isn't a book where everyone learns a little Life Lesson and emerges largely unscathed as a happier, better person. It's a tough story in many ways and will genuinely frighten some young people, but will enthral others and treats them with respect as mature readers.
Personally I found the unremitting darkness and grimness a little overpowering, and I could have done with a slight leaven of humour, for example. Nonetheless, it's very well done and many will enjoy it very much. Recommended.
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