LoveReading Says
July 2009 Book of the Month.
A thrilling, thought-provoking novel from the critically acclaimed Kevin Brooks. Dawn Bundy is fifteen. She doesn't fit in and she couldn't care less. Dawn has other things on her mind. Her dad disappeared two years ago and it's all God's fault. When Dawn's dad found God, it was the worst time ever. He thought he'd found the answer to everything. But that wasn't the end of it . . .
A message from the author:
Q. What happens if the person you love most in the world - a person who is genuinely kind and loving and good - what happens if one day that person does something unimaginably terrible to you? What happens to their goodness, to your love, to everything you once believed? Does it all just die?
What happens when all you're left with is a messed-up heart, two dachshunds, a broken mother and the sound of The Jesus and Mary Chain playing constantly in your head? How does that make you feel? And what happens if there is no one to blame except God because he doesn't exist?
A. The is what happens - the story of Dawn Buddy.
LoveReading
Find This Book In
Kevin Brooks Press Reviews
'Kevin Brooks just gets better and better, and given that he started off brilliant, that leaves one scratching around for superlatives' – Sunday Telegraph
'He's an original. And he writes one hell of a story' – Meg Rosoff
About Kevin Brooks
Kevin Brooks counts among his many jobs being a crematorium assistant, a refreshments vendor at the London Zoo, and a civil servant. But he always wanted to be a writer.
It was the publication of Martyn Pig that changed everything. After being turned down by a number of publishers, Kevin Brooks sent his manuscript to The Chicken House, who jumped on the chance to publish it. They released Martyn Pig in the spring of 2002. In the U.K, the book went on to be short-listed for the Carnegie Medal and win a Branford Boase Award for a first best novel. And in the United States, it was named a Publishers Weekly Flying Start and an ALA Book of the Year, among its many accolades.
One of Brooks' favorite genres is the detective novel, and this shows in his writing, "I think my awareness of plot comes from having read a lot of crime fiction. When Martyn Pig came out, the reviewers were saying things such as 'well plotted' novel. I found that surprising because I didn't have any idea that I could plot or structure a story. I do plan, but I'm not consciously aware that I'm building a plot that creates good suspense; it comes naturally because I've soaked myself in those sorts of plots."
Why did he decide to write for children? "There are not many differences, I don't think, between writing for children and writing for adults," Brooks says, "because children aren't that different from adults. But I would say the story is the main thing, with children. With adults you might use different styles and structures, perhaps indulge in fiddly niceties. Writing for children brings you down to basics."
Critics have compared his second novel, Lucas, to classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird and The Ox-Bow Incident. Told through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Caitlin, Lucas captures the pain and grace of an adolescent girl faced with a moral dilemma – with only her heart to guide her. "An ambitious and intricately crafted tale of love and resurrection," says Publishers Weekly in a starred review. Lucas was long listed for the Guardian Fiction Prize, was a Book Sense 76 pick and was also chosen for Barnes & Noble Teen Discovery Program.
Kevin Brooks is married and lives in Manningtree, Essex, England.
More About Kevin Brooks
