by Celia Rees
Nothing like other books I've read of hers (Sovay is a brilliant historical fiction novel for teens), this is a disturbing story of a teenage girl, Caro, who gets mixed up and deeply involved in marches, riots and finally terrorist plots. Her partner in crime is Rob, ex-army, injured in Afghanistan by a bomb, now deeply mentally affected with post-traumatic stress syndrome. Caught up in the middle is Rob's younger brother, the innocent Jamie, who has fallen in love with Caro, without realising what type of person she is.The element of guns runs through the book - Caro's father shot himself following a spate of depression from losing his job; her stepfather has a gun licence, owns and keeps many guns in the house, and has taught Caro how to shoot (for game only); Rob and Jamie's father, also in the Army, shot himself; their Grandpa, again ex-Army, also has a violent past and owns guns, but is now in a home suffering from Alzheimer's. So from the beginning, when we know that Rob and another has died in an incident which has affected the whole community, there is an underlying sense of unease, and you're waiting for the inevitable to happen.
A slow and confusing start, but improves.
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