C. G. Drews (c) 2019
Having just finished this book, I feel like I've been in the ring with Mike Tyson. It is a page turner and it is not for the faint-hearted.
The story centers around a couple of teen brothers who have had a vile childhood - their mother abandoned them; their drunk and violent father abused them before unceremoniously dumping them at their heartless aunt's house. Everything is exacerbated by the fact that the older brother, Avery, is autistic and is cruelly bullied by his peers. His younger brother Sammy has adopted the role of his Chief Protector, which sounds quite noble until you read that Sammy does what he knows best and resorts to uncontrollable physical violence, leaving a wake of blood and broken bones in their track.
The boys soon find themselves homeless and on the run.
Each chapter is interspersed with chronological flashbacks to help the reader see beneath the iceberg and maintain a shred of empathy instead of repulsion.
In start contrast, Sammy eventually finds himself swept up in the life of a 'normal' chaotic family who know nothing of his past and allow him to fall in step with their daily routines. And in this family, who are currently grieving the loss of their mother (who died too young of cancer), Sammy bonds with Moxie and begins to wrestle with his demons in the process of finding love. One asks, would she care for him if she really knew what he was like?
Here's an excerpt from early on wherein the brothers are staging a fight so they can steal wallets from the concerned crowd:
Avery shoves him.
It comes so fast that Sam doesn't have time to brace himself. He takes a stumbling step backwards, falling against a passer-by in a tangle of limbs and hair flopping over his face.
'I'm sorry!' he gasps as the person shoves him off with a startled grunt.
Their handbag isn't quite zipped.
Sam's hand is in and out before he stands up.
Then Avery is in front of him, shoulders knotted, jabbing a finger into Sam's chest. Right in the bruise. Sam's wince is real.
'You want to run that by me again?' Avery shouts...
Knuckles collide with Sam's jaw.
His neck snaps to the side.
His teeth sink into his tongue.
The boardwalk reaches up and Sam's face c o l l i d e s with a thwack on the floorboard. His vision fractures.
Avery really really forgot to fake that punch.
Hands are already on Sam's arms, grabbing him, asking if he's OK as he's roughly propelled into a sitting position. Blood dribbles down his chin. Someone gives a heartfelt gasp. (pp.97-8)
And there's plenty more fight scenes where that came from, which leads me to think that this novel will appeal to any teens from year 7 - 9. It is fast paced from the start and contains an emotionally charged and satisfying ending. I enjoyed it!
Miss ^__^
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