In the Bleak...

I seem to have read some quite 'bleak' books in recent weeks. I picked up a copy of Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders in a local second hand book shop. It tells a fictionalised version of how the plague came to the Derbyshire village of Eyam in the 1600s. The characters are all imagined, but the background is very real. The villagers cut themselves off all other settlements to stop the disease from spreading. It's a fascinating book, even if not strictly 'true', and the reader has to look on as the villagers gradually turn on each other in their desperation. My only real cavil with the book is the epilogue, which seemed out of place somehow. I won't give any more than that away.

My second bit of bleakness has been The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness, the recent winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and now nominated for CILIP's Carnegie Medal. Justifiably I would say... In the world where Todd lives all men can hear the thoughts of other men. Their deepest and desires and most trivial thoughts open for all to listen to. Despite this, Todd gradually realises that all the men he knows are keeping something from him, and that his understanding of the world around him is based upon a huge lie. The Knife of Never Letting Go is a challenging read for young adults. It's a dystopian chilling view of the future. I'm really pleased that I've managed to track down a copy of the newly published sequel The Ask and the Answer. Well done Gateshead libraries for being so quick off the mark!

And finally: Numbers by Rachel Ward. Jem and Spider are streetwise 15-year-olds, excluded from school. On a visit to London they find themselves caught up in a terrorist attack. Problem is, Jem knew it was going to happen, because when she looks in someones eyes she can see the date they will die. I'm still reading this, and enjoying it so far. Strong language (lots of it!) means it definitely a read for older teenagers.