Description
An extraordinary novel by mother and son authors Jenny Downham and Louis Hill. This is a searing, powerful and ultimately uplifting exploration of journeying through grief.
Leah and Charlie are handling their family's loss in very different ways. Their choices push them down dangerous and perilous paths which eventually collide, sending shockwaves through their community. This astounding, compulsive novel explores love, power, money, art and asks: what matters most in the end?
Review
Leah and Charlie are both struggling after the death of their dad. They have moved house, and their mum is finding it hard to get out bed most days, let alone leave the house.
Leah takes on the job of running the house, and between her and Charlie they make sure that their little sister, Abby, is cared for and gets to school each day. Leah has fallen in love with a married man who runs an art gallery. She feels her happiest when she is with him, even though she knows that what they are doing is wrong.
Charlie is an artist and he dreams of building a career in art, but he suffers from anxiety. He finds comforts in drawing, but some of it is very dark and personal. When he inadvertently gets hooked into taking money from a loan shark, who he thought was his friend, he finds himself involved in a scam and his life spirals even more out of control.
As Charlie and Leah’s problems collide, they have to decide what to do, and what matters most in their lives. Will their mum be able to help them at all, or are they on their own?
This is a wonderful story about a family’s journey through grief, and the different ways they all deal with it. It’s a hard book to put down, as the characters are likeable and relatable, and they have a great family dynamic that seems very realistic. It explores forbidden love, the control and power of bullies through the loan sharks, as well as family love, grief, sadness and, in the end, hope and support. A fantastic story that is best suited to those 15 years and up, who enjoy an in-depth read.
