I bought this book
for the course I teach at Salford University: Intro to Children’s Literature. I always like to source some of the
latest publications and I actually go to the Urmston bookshop to do this. It
has a special sort of clientele. People who shop here are serious about books.
Survivor did not disappoint. I’d label teen / young adult. The cover says “For Fans of Cherub and Gone”. Yes, that seems right too. It’s a thriller / whodunit.
It keeps us guessing right until the end and even then you can’t be 100% sure. It’s
really up to the reader to decide. That makes it absolutely spot on for young
adults.
Some really nasty
things happen as protagonist George Fleet takes part in the Ultimate Bushcraft
adventure holiday. He gives his account. After each part of this another voice speaks,
often leading us to believe the perpetuator of the crime is someone we’ve met
in the previous account. There will then be a text that looks like an official statement.
George’s statements
are somewhat longer than the others and read like a normal first person
narrative. Nevertheless, they remain reasonably short and that with the
shortness of the other texts makes this book very readable. You’re often tempted
to read a little bit more as you can see that the next section is so short.
I read it very
quickly.
I look forward to reading
more from Tom Hoyle.
