March 2010 Debut of the Month.

My favourite first novel of the month.  A raw, compelling slice of teenage angst taken to the limits.  It tells of the ‘new boy’ influencing a bunch of misfits, loners, who need to belong and who embrace the idea of forming an elite group.  How he influences them and the dreadful consequences had me glued to the pages into the small hours.  All teenagers wonder what life is about and if it’s worth it.  This novel so captures that disillusionment, it’s painful.  Very highly recommended.

Comparison: Donna Tartt (Secret History), Joe Dunthorne (Submarine).

Synopsis

Craig Bartlett-Taylor was always trying to kill himself, but when he took an overdose at the back of Mrs Kenna's classroom, Richie thought he'd finally succeeded: it was a real-life Worst Case Scenario. But then the new kid, Freddy, steps in and saves Craig's life, and for Richie the lure of this mysterious newcomer is irresistible. Freddy is like nobody Richie has ever met. Dark, sardonic and dangerous, he gives flight to Richie's imagination, introducing him to a way of life he'd never thought possible. But when a night-time prank goes gut-wrenchingly wrong, Richie begins to question Freddy's motives, and all too soon he finds himself committed to a sinister pact, with inescapably tragic consequences. It's true that Freddy saved a life - but could he take one, too? With great wit and an unflinching eye for the muddle and drama of adolescence, The Suicide Club is a pitch-perfect portrait of teenage disaffection that sets boy against boy, imagination against reason - and, ultimately, life against death.

Reviews

About the Author

Rhys Thomas lives in Wales. He is thirty-one years old. THE SUICIDE CLUB is his first novel. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation