Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that one of the protagonists in this award-winning read is apparently dying of a gruesome degenerative disease, accidentally killed his disabled brother, and may have killed his parents as well -- and the other protagonist is an arsonist. The teen smoking and beer drinking are minor faults in comparison.
Families who read this book could discuss the strange ending. What was real? Finnigan? The murders? Gabriel dying? What really happens at the very end?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
"I am dying: it's a beautiful word. Like the long slow sigh of a cello: dying. But the sound of it is the only beautiful thing about it."
That stunner of an opening paragraph sets the tone for this lyrical novel, a psychological thriller told in gorgeous prose poetry, with an ending worthy of M. Night Shyamalan, though considerably more confusing. That ending will have readers paging back through this bizarre story to try to figure out what was real, and what wasn't. And even then they won't find all the answers.
Tolerance for ambiguity, then, is one of the prerequisites for enjoying this book. The author herself has said that she doesn't really write for children, and is not sure why her books are marketed that way. There's not much that would be considered objectionable for teens, but it won't be to all of their tastes. At the same time, many adults will enjoy SURRENDER, and shouldn't miss it because it's being sold in the children's section. With shimmering prose, a uniquely strange plot, and that surprising, confusing ending, this will be a joy to some and frustrating to others.
From The Book
"I remember my first sight of him -- the sound and scavenger look of him -- surrounded by summer; I remember the stillness of the day and the density of the air. Neither of us was older than nine or ten. I was skimming a car along the garden fence when Finnigan crossed the brink of my vision. At first I feigned ignorance or disdain of his presence, but the car beneath my fingertips bunny-hopped and soon stalled. I slid a glance at him. At school we had seen a wildlife film projected onto a wall, and the boy who was watching me was a hyena. His dark eyes were set apart and seemed to have no arena of white. He didn't move or say a thing but I knew, just from his watching, that he could sever my arm. We were the same height and same age and built along similar leggy lines, but he was a hyena while I was a small, ashy, alpine moth. From the footpath side of the fence he stared at me, and my gaze floated grudgingly from the toy. He swiped a fly from his face. "You're that boy," he said.
" ... What boy?"
"You know. That boy. You know. What you did. Everybody knows."
Plot Summary:
In alternating chapters, as Gabriel lays dying, he and Finnigan tell their story. Anwell lives a restricted life with his frigid mother and controlling father. Even at a young age he harbors dark secrets: he accidentally killed his disabled older brother, possibly with his mother's complicity. When he meets a wild boy, Finnigan, who seems to live in the forest, he is enthralled. Finnigan seems to know all the secrets of their small town, including Anwell's, and they make a pact -- they will be mirror images of each other. Anwell will always be good, while Finnigan will be bad. Since Anwell will be an angel, Finnigan calls him Gabriel.
Soon a series of arsons begins tearing the town apart, and only Gabriel knows who the arsonist is. Finnigan is fulfilling his part of the bargain, and the victims are those whom Gabriel doesn't like. His father leads a group of vigilantes to try to stop the arsonist, little knowing that his son is involved. But as they grow into adolescence, Gabriel, though fearful, begins to chafe under Finnigan's control, as well as his parents'.
Related Books:
Other Books by Sonya Hartnett:
Thursday's Child
What the Birds See
Stripes of the Sidestep Wolf
Suspenseful Stories About Emotionally Disturbed Teens:
Silent Snow, Secret Snow by Conrad Aiken
The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks
Strange Objects by Gary Crew
Family of Strangers by Susan Beth Pfeffer
Griffin's Castle by Jenny Nimmo
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin
The Fat Man by Maurice Gee
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Sexual ContentMild fantasies. |
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ViolenceOne of the narrators seems to be dying of a gruesome degenerative disease, which is described in some detail. Murder with a hatchet, arson, the shooting of a dog. Children are beaten with belts and sticks by parents. A child accidentally kills his disabled brother by putting him in an unused refrigerator. |
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LanguageOne use of "s--t." |
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Social BehaviorThere is no one likable or good here; the protagonists engage in arson and murder. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoTeen smoking, beer drinking. |
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