This is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees

Bestselling author Celia Rees is better known for her historical fiction tales of adventure so this is a bit of a departure and a successful one at that.  A psychological thriller, the book takes in political terrorism, the after effects of the war in Afghanistan and teenage angst.  It’s incredibly well plotted with three compelling narrators weaving you through the intricate tale, with at least two of them deceiving you as you try to uncover what’s really going on beneath the surface.  I really quite enjoyed it.

The story starts with an ending; a funeral and a question over what to do with the ashes. There’s intrigue about what has happened and what will happen, which becomes more intense as you read on.  The three voices are immediately distinctive from their font and patterns of dialogue to the links at the top of the chapters that Rob narrates.  He’s Jamie’s older brother, recently returned from Afghanistan and pretty traumatised as well as injured.  There’s an interesting dynamic between them that becomes ever more complicated once Jamie begins spending time with Caro, a gorgeous girl at his school. Caro’s a mystery; she’s remote, unconventional and her behaviour’s erratic.  As Jamie becomes more involved with her he takes no notice of his sister Martha, who vehemently discourages him against this girl and this is of course when events take a sinister turn.

It’s dark but what marks this book out as different is its political undertones and the edge of danger that belies everything.  It’s a story skilfully told and the switching between the narratives, often super quickly is so well executed that I never had to check who was speaking.  The book raises questions about love and what you’ll do for it, about war, about beliefs, about the consequences of your actions and it’s thick with involvement between all three characters.  It’s Caro’s escalating behaviour that seems so dangerous at first, but then there’s the twist [which I shan't spoil for you].  Other characters do make an appearance such as Jamie and Rob’s sister Martha and their mother, but both serve to act as mirrors, reflecting the characters of both boys.  There is much that’s alluded to carefully throughout the tale and snippets of back stories to keep you absorbed.  You’ll be drawn in just as Jamie is and you’re never quite sure who’s fooling who at first.  It’s an intelligent read and something new, challenging and exciting for YA fiction.

ISBN: 978-1-40881-769-8 · £6.99 · Paperback  · Published 2 Feb 2012