The Nesbo-phenomenon: Review of 'Nemesis'

Title: Nemesis
Author: Jo Nesbo
Genre: Crime, thriller

If you've arrived into or departed from, or even just brushed near a London train station recently, chances are that you will recognise the name Jo Nesbo. Millions of people are reading the Norwegian writer's novels featuring the troubled detective, Harry Hole (pronounced 'Hoola' in Norway) in a whole host of sticky situations - ok, less sticky, more dangerous, violent and with a significantly high death risk. With eight books in the crime fiction series, plus Headhunters, which was recently made into a movie, Nesbo has firmly established himself in popular reading culture, being dubbed 'The next Stieg Larsson' (of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo fame). Personally, I think he's better than Larson, and my most recent read, Nemesis, proves it.

Starting with a bank raid in which a young female cashier is shot dead, so begins Harry's investigation into a complex web of robbery, murder and infidelity involving gypsies, Brazilian hit men, successful businessmen and even Harry himself. A suffering alcoholic, Hole also finds himself wrapped up in the death of an old flame, taking his investigations underground when he becomes the prime suspect in his own murder case.

As usual for a Nesbo thriller, this is a page turner until the last. The pace is relentless, urging you to fly through the 700 or so pages with twists and turns leading you to suspect almost every character at one time or another. It is not as complex as The Redbreast, which involved story-lines from across large gaps of time, taking the reader from the 1940s to the present with little warning. However, there will be times when the complexity of Nemesis will have led the story to flip back and forth so many times that you start to feel that you could have accepted the first explanation - thank you very much officers, let's call it a wrap and go home. But somehow, you find yourself quickly back and absorbed deep in the story and enjoying those final moments when it all comes to light. Albeit, 700 pages later.

Harry Hole's character is as flawless as ever - in written terms, not in personality. Despite his unconventional methods of policing, we're rooting for him. And despite his alcoholism, insomnia, lack of social skills and the constant pressure he puts on his colleagues, loved ones and himself, you can't help but love the guy and hope that it all comes good with the case and his long-term love interest, Rakel. He is the typical damaged maverick, but there is always room in my heart for those types - in literature, obviously.

A follow up to The Redbreast, you might be forgiven for thinking this novel came after the most popular of Nesbo's books, The Snowman. All his novels are plastered with the tag line, 'Author of The Snowman' but it is simply that his books have been translated into English and published in a funny order. The latest release in the UK, The Bat, is actually the first Harry Hole thriller and finally, with this release we will discover the story behind the mysterious shooting of an Australian serial killer that Harry Hole is so famous for in fictional Norway.

So what to do? Do you pick up The Bat and start from the beginning? Or do you start with The Snowman? In all honesty, it doesn't matter. Nesbo has an art for reintroducing the longer-running threads in the Harry Hole story in each novel as well as starting afresh with his character and giving you the chance to form a relationship with the lead at any point in his life. The only no-brainer is this: it doesn't matter which book you choose from the Jo Nesbo collection, just make sure you read one.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Nemesis'.
www.jonesbo.co.uk/

10 reasons to love 10 years of 'Spooks'

Spooks

BBC One, Sundays, 9pm

Spooks for me is like a bad man. Smooth, well-dressed and unequivocally attractive, treating me mean and keeping me woefully keen. Since we met ten years ago, my emotional investment has only led to repeated heartbreak interspersed with the occasional heart-racing encounter. Yet, I have stuck by. And now, a decade on, it plans to dump me (undoubtedly in the most spectacularly explosive fashion) without so much as a quick courtesy phone call to check I haven't fallen completely off the post-breakup wagon.

Call me dramatic, but this is the love that I (and I believe many others) have for Spooks. So, I thought I'd search my soul for the top 10 reasons that have led to it seducing us all into this turbulent and troublesome relationship.

1. For 1 hour a week, you believe you could be a spy.

Yes, we've all thought it - fancied ourselves as the next James Bond or that sexy girl with the killer heels and the gun tucked up her suspenders. Spooks makes you believe that you really could be it. Perhaps it's something about the way that they all seem so ordinary (albeit with an impossibly high IQ and the ability to defuse a nuclear bomb) or the way they explain those pesky Russian plots and the latest Terrorist threat making you believe you've got the espionage lingo sussed. Then you remember that they'd happily exchange their mother in order to save the world and it reminds you that perhaps it's not that easy after all. Besides, I'd be rubbish under torture.

2. It's not frightened of betrayal.

The world can be pretty tough in reality, but at least we can always rely on TV to lie to us about it. Spooks, however, is no such television programme. Like a strict parent, it gives it to you straight. It hands over that cute, fluffy teddy bear you've always wanted then takes it back, tears its head off and throws the remains in the fire. Lesson: good things never last. Harsh, but - be it the lovely Adam exploding before our eyes, that whiskey-supping home secretary played by Robert Glenister who turned out to be a two-timing, lying wotsit or last season's traitor,

Lucas - Spooks has never been afraid to turn everything we believe on its head. Usually killing off/making a Russian sympathiser of our favourite characters in the process.

3. It's full of surprises.

I've been watching this show for 10 years now and it still has me stuffed behind a cushion in fear and disbelief. Oh your Hello's and Reveal's might be able to tell you what's happening on Albert Square next week but I'll be damned if anyone can figure out who's going to blow up next time on Spooks. That little preview they give you does squat. Speculate if you will but I have yet to hit the nail on the head as to the who's, where's, why's and what for's in the future of MI5.

4. It knows all the good park benches.

Has anyone noticed how empty their public meet-up spots are? I always thought that the point of meeting in public was so that it was more difficult to get shot without anyone noticing, and yet whenever spy meets spy, there's no one about. I don't know if you've ever gone out in London around lunch time but every park bench is crowded with air-hungry commuters and snap-happy tourists all tucking into their pret-a-manger. The only time the scene is ever crowded?

When there's a bomb ticking. Then, inevitably, thousands of oblivious humans are aimlessly wandering about to get in CO19's way.

5. Everyone's sexy.

Fact. It even makes I.T. look desirable.

6. It never sleeps/showers/eats.

Unless it's sipping on a whiskey after a hard day's nation-protecting, spies never seem to have to function like normal humans. I'm peckish by about 10am at work, but an MI5 worker will be holed away at his desk for hours without so much as a thought to those custard creams in the office kitchenette. The only time you see a character in bed is if they've had to have a morally ambiguous night of passion with an asset/terrorist/fellow spy and I think the only time a bath or shower has been involved was when some bird tried to drown Adam. Perhaps eating, sleeping and washing is just too dangerous when you're in espionage.

7. Americans are annoying.

No matter how much the real world thinks we're under the thumb of Uncle Sam, Harry will always fight our corner in the fictional world. The CIA might be bad-ass, 10 times as rich and even more sleek and attractive than their British counterparts, but they're arrogant and irritating and like to think that they have our beloved MI5 on a lead. Well, not so fast America - we know you're not perfect and we've got a few tricks of our own up our sleeve, so we'll take you on if we have to. Plus as long as Harry's at the top, we'll have our own two legs to stand on thank you very much.

8. It's terribly, terribly British.

This might be farfetched telly but it's no nonsense, efficient, full of awkward glances and brave faces British telly. Ros was so cold she'd have survived naked in the arctic, Ruth's constantly making eyes at Harry but you can't quite imagine the snog under a star-spangled sky and it's almost never sunny - note large overcoats, leather gloves and a constantly overcast sky. It's our recognisable home and I think that might just be one of the biggest reasons we succumb to its charm. We can forgive its twisty-turny plot lines because it's just so unashamedly us. Plus, the dry humour is there to tickle you in between the tears.

9. It took on Downton Abbey.

And lost. But who cares? It's a blip it can afford for the sake of National Security.

10. Harry is always there for us.

That's right. Despite the heartache, the explosions, the sacrifices, the chemical leaks, unavoidable attacks on assets, computer bugs and corruption from the inside, Harry has always been there to see us through. In 10 years there have been some hairy moments and he can be a right meanie from time to time (e.g. the time he let Ruth's new squeeze get shot in the back of the head in front of her), but he's always sucked it up and started over with a clear head and another bottle of whiskey (ok, so maybe not a clear head). But let's face it, no one is safe in Spooks and to kill Harry off at the end of this series might be like the universe imploding but at least they wouldn't have to find a replacement, who would take another 10 years to earn our trust. I can't help thinking though that to kill Harry off at the end of this season would be akin to the 'and then they woke up and it was all a dream' scenario. My bet's on Ruth snuffing it (probably because Harry puts her in the wrong place at the wrong time) and he'll end up being dishonourably dismissed.

But I haven't been right yet.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this article.

'The Shadow Line' Review: Britain's answer to 'The Wire'

The Shadow Line (BBC2 Thursdays 9pm)

Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Stephen Rea, Rafe Spall

Genre: Crime, thriller

When drug baron, Harvey Wratten, is founded shot dead in his car, it sparks a murder investigation on both sides of the law. Jonah Gabriel (Chiwetel Ejiofor) leads the team of police - but with the confusion of amnesia hanging over his head, he struggles to get to grips with both the case and himself. Meanwhile, Joseph Bede (Christopher Eccleston) is left to salvage what is left of his investment in the drugs business whilst keeping tabs on Wratten's unstable nephew, Jay (Rafe Spall). Dark, daring and softly but spectacularly scary, Hugo Blick's The Shadow Line is the best drama to hit British screens in some time.

Raw, gritty and irresistibly addictive, this thriller brings a whole new meaning to the word 'shadow'. Impossibly dark, slow and brooding, every man, woman and child in this programme is living under a shadow. Virtually silent throughout, but with tension rising to the occasional but powerful music, you'll be gripped by the eerie acting and stripped dialogue. With a complex network of characters and storylines, Blick blurs the boundaries between the good, the bad and the ugly. Four episodes in and I'm still none-the-wiser - but that won't have you wanting to stop watching.

The modern underworld of The Shadow Line is populated with damaged characters. There's the literal damage to Jonah, who has a stroke of convenient amnesia after getting a bullet lodged in his brain. There's the unstoppable onset of early Alzheimer's that Joseph's wife, Julie (Lesley Sharp) suffers from, and the probable mental instability of the young Jay Wratten. Hard-edged and ruthless, they nonetheless all have something to protect - reputation, money, love, or even the complete unknown - and their thirst for survival in a world of secrets makes for a thrilling watch.

With stand out performances from the likes of Rafe Spall and Stephen Rea as the late-appearing Gatehouse, Blick has on board an incredibly talented team of people to make such a slow-burning thriller work. Spall commands the screen, his distinctive voice and erratic behaviour make Jay Wratten a character to be feared. But the soothing power of Rea's Gatehouse is on another level altogether. Elusive, but calm and ever-the-gentleman, his enigmatic nature will have your eyes virtually sewn to your TV.

Everything in this drama reeks of hard work and intelligence - Hugo Blick has put his all into this one and it pays off. Stealthy, silent and sinister, this programme will pull you into the shadows before you've even had time to realise it. All I can say is, don't fight it - this is one underworld you need to be a part of.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Shadow Line'.

Top 10 things in film that you wish your eyes had never seen

So we all know some films are built to give us the heebie-geebies and some just make us laugh trying. But how many are there that have done it so damn well we’ve cried into our pillows a big slobbery mess? Some just touch a nerve and others damn well grab it, rip it out and floss with it in front of us. Let’s examine such masterpieces of cinematic goosepimply goodness – be warned, as the title of this article suggests, in reading this you risk psychological and physical disturbance of the highest order. Oh, and there may well be spoilers.

10 – That nose-smashing stunt in Pan’s Labyrinth

Written and directed by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro, Pan’s Labyrinth was a gem of fantastical weirdness. It might have fairies and fauns in it but this is anything but a fairytale. Interweaving the real world with some really messed up critters, main girl Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) has to complete three tasks to prove herself a princess. In the midst of all this is her evil stepfather (that’s right patriarchs, evil stepfather in this one – deal with it) who one night stumbles across two farmers lurking about his land. Naturally he beats one in the face with a bottle – a few swift downwards motions and the nose will apparently completely collapse in on itself. Lovely job.

9 – The eye-melting in Resident Evil

So it might be based on one of those new-fangled video game malarkies – personally I’m still trying to complete Sonic the Hedgehog on Sega Mega Drive – but Resident Evil (the film) had many moments that made me go a bit gooey inside. And not the good kind. Top of the list is the moment when the man with possibly the uncoolest name in showbiz – Colin Salmon – gets lasered to oblivion. His name is much cooler in the movie – a guy called ‘One’ is surely not to be messed with – but that laser just don’t care who’s hip and who ain’t. Eye-slicing laser: one. One: nil.

8 – Lawrence sawing off his own foot in ... well, Saw

Ok, so you could have picked just about any moment from one of the Jigsaw’s games for this one, but let’s go with the original shall we? Before the franchise got so ridiculously out-of-hand that the producers deserve to play the game themselves. I for one am very attached to my limbs, both physically and emotionally, and anyone with the will and ability to chop off one of their valuable appendages is pretty bloody mad. Nevertheless, Lawrence (Cary Elwes) with his foot chained to the wall of a bathroom, suddenly fears for the lives of his wife and daughter and finds himself succumbing to the Jigsaw’s mind games. The image of him crawling his way to the door still haunts me. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt from him and Aron Ralston, it’s that young children motivate you to get hacking. Lesson: don’t have kids. Or even think about having them. Especially in canyons and bathrooms.

7 – Two-Face in The Dark Knight

Ok, so we all wanted to wipe the smile off Harvey Dent’s (Aaron Eckhart) oh so perfect smug little face, but none of us actually wanted to wipe off his face. Nevertheless, the powers that be dictate that he must be disfigured and that he must become Two-Face. Possessing that lovely burned quality, his eye remains (in a way that defies all laws of physics) intact. And it’s that freaky bulging eyeball that makes me squirm every time. Someone get this guy a patch.

6 – James McAvoy being hung à la pig in the back of a butcher’s van in The Last King of Scotland

Now, why anyone would want to punish a face so cheekily Scottish is beyond me, but Idi Amin was a nasty bloke and so James McAvoy’s Nicholas Garrigan must suffer. When Garrigan travels to Uganda to do good with his newly acquired medical degree, he finds himself taking a job as personal physician to dictator Amin. Safe to say, he does more bad than good and gets a lesson in tribal African culture when he is hung, by his chest, with rusty meat hooks and hoisted up to the ceiling. Yum.

5 – Harry’s heroin fix in Requiem for a Dream

The first of two films from Darren Aronofsky to hit this list, this is definitely not one to see with your mum. Not only will your own mind be scarred for life, but your mother’s opinion of you surely will be as well – especially after you convinced her it was an intellectually stimulating film about the unfortunate products of addiction. The moment where Harry, desperate for his next fix, injects heroin into his gangrenous arm is sure to finish off anyone with a weak stomach – which reminds me, it might be as well not to eat lunch whilst reading this.

4 – The girl in The Grudge

Need I say more? The eyes, the noise, the crawling down the stairs and frightening the living bajesus out of everyone – this girl almost destroyed the very fabric of my being. American remake of Japanese film Ju-On: The Grudge, this version stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as Karen Davis, who inadvertently finds herself wrapped up in a horrific curse. Let’s face it, we all could have done without this one on a dark winter’s night – but at least it provides a pretty easy dressing up option for Halloween.

3 – Natalie Portman’s skin-peeling antics in Black Swan

A more recent one to add to the bank, Natalie Portman’s Oscar-winning role as Nina in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan gave us appropriate swan-pimples. As if one unfathomable mind-bending moment wasn’t enough, this film gave us many, all equally as gross and brain-churning as the last – with the added bonus of a couple of lesbian encounters thrown in for good measure. However, the crowning glory was that deliciously grim skin-peeling trick she performed on her middle finger. With her teeth. Cue squeamish howls resonating round the cinema.

2 – The shower scene in Psycho

All hail Hitchcock for laying the foundations of fear in the cinema. Iconic sixties magnum opus, the master of suspense instilled the there’s-something-behind-the-curtain-aphobia in almost every film fan in the world – and that’s fact. Shot entirely in black and white, the silent approach of the shadowy figure on the other side of the shower curtain was the simplest and the greatest way to have you hiding behind the sofa. One of the best moments in heebie-geebie history.

1 – Spike’s bum in Notting Hill

I’m just kidding. Everyone knows we wanted to see those buns – ‘Nice. Firm. Buttocks.’

Care to slap us in the face with some more psychologically skull-bashing, spine-tingling, stomach-churning greatness? Let us know and share your nightmares with the world.

Re-Building Broken Britain with Broken Hearts

Small Island - Andrea Levy

Award-winning novel, Small Island, is the moving tale of the black and white divide between people in England shortly after World War II. Following four characters, two Jamaican, two English, Levy explores the effects of the war, the disillusionment of those seeking a better life in Britain and the difficulties of love and prejudice.

Recently made into a BBC TV series, Small Island has recently received a new lease of life. The novel was critically acclaimed upon its initial release, but the popularity of TV has allowed people to rediscover this wonderful book.

Split into chapters told from the point of view of the four main characters, reading about their hopes, fears and darkest secrets alligns you strangely with none of them. You learn to love them as you share their experiences but you also can't help but dislike a little aspect of each one of them; one's stubborness, another's grumpiness and some pretentiousness force you to look at what is surrounding these characters. Levy looks at the difficulties post-war Britain faced as it simultaneously tried to rebuild itself as well accepting the new arrivals from overseas.

Nevertheless, this book feels far from preachy as it is not entirely focused on racism. The most striking element of the novel is not just the difficulty that people of different races had with loving and liking each other, Levy also looks at the problems that men and women must overcome in order to love one another. The two women of the story, Hortense from Jamaica and Queenie from England make tough, selfish and selfless decisions throughout their lives and still struggle to live with the men they marry. Yet, despite appearances, their ability to love links these two incredibly different women forever in a way they can never realise.

It is Levy's ability to divulge the characters' secrets to her readers, but not to the other characters themselves that makes this the beautiful story that it is. Sometimes you feel that if everyone told the truth, everything would become clearer and more simple - of course, life is rarely that easy. This novel is steeped in reality and the author subtly proves that bigger issues, as well as pure human nature, sometimes get in the way of the truth. Social obligations mould these characters whether they fight against them or not and it is the truth about post-war society that is really revealed in this book.

Possibly the best thing about Small Island is the unexpected ending. It is a moving and compassionate tale that ends with the same hard-hitting reality that the entire novel provides. The book is full of small surprises but the last is the best and it draws the story neatly together as Hortense, Queenie, Bernard and Gilbert are brought together in a final climax. It is difficult to describe suchly a deeply detailed book without spoiling some of its beauty - all that can be said is that everyone should pick this one up and experience humanity at both its best and its worst.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Small Island'.

All's Fair in Love and Death

The Gathering - Anne Enright

Winner of the 2007 Man Booker Prize, The Gathering is the harrowing tale of a dysfunctional Irish family told by Veronica Hegarty. She is plunged back into her past and forced to face her diverse, drinking family upon the death of her dearest brother, Liam. A troubled young man, Liam walks into the sea at Brighton and never resurfaces. Shocked and somewhat bitter, Veronica invites us to explore her memories of and with her brother as she searches for the classic 'what went wrong?'

The novel itself has a cold tone throughout - unsurprisingly, as the whole thing is centred around Veronica arranging the funeral details and transport of her brother's body back to his birth town. However, this tone is undoubtedly the fault of Enright's narrator, who is seemingly devoid of positive emotion.

The author depicts the loss in an angry and bitter way as the narrator blames the incessant reproduction of her mother and father for the faults of her brother. Living within a huge family, Veronica obviously feels neglected by her parents and even by many of her brothers and sisters - she was forced to grow up, alongside Liam, with a grandmother of equally cold behaviour. It seems to be in the Hegarty genes that the women grow cold, staying with their partners through thick and thin for reasons that they might have forgotten.

Veronica herself, in reflecting upon her past, becomes more and more detached from her family - she feels competition and resentment towards one of her two daughters, and refuses to sleep with her husband, increasingly turning to drink for company. It is very uncomfortable to read about the lack of love one woman can feel for her family. Most people have faith that a mother's love can prevail over all other forms and yet here is Veronica almost hating her children.

Enright explores the family structure in a way I have never seen before. The Hegarty children are more like numbers than children and Veronica constantly tries to convince us that her mother doesn't even know her name. The bond between parent and child is significantly damaged in this book, which is slightly disturbing (but intriguing) to read.

Enright's attitude towards the family in The Gathering is equally reflected in her portrayal of sex. Intercourse is grotesque throughout and issues surrounding Liam's sexual life enhance this. Sex is not enjoyable for Veronica - it is a mechanical, almost disgusting act of human behaviour, undoubtedly a view resulting from her feelings towards her incredibly fertile parents.

Liam is the fall from grace. He is quite beautiful under Enright's description, with the extremely blue "Hegarty eyes". Girls throw themselves at him, but his childhood, marked by a damaged, loveless upbringing, fail this potentially bright star, as it seems to have done for all the Hegarty children. However, Liam is essentially a ghost in Veronica's story. We are never allowed insight into his real feelings or emotions, and his alcoholism and other underlying problems are the products of his sister's observations and suppositions.

Although more cold and bitter than any character I have ever come across, Veronica's thought processes resemble those of any other human, even if her thoughts are far from your own. The desire to retain the memory of someone you've loved and lost and, perhaps, to reason with why they couldn't have been saved, is a natural process when love and death tragically come together.

Enright's writing is clearly deserving of the Man Booker Prize, which I found a little surprising. I have read Booker shortlisters and winners before, only to find them abstract and unenjoyable. This was not the case with The Gathering. Yes, it is still a bit abstract, with little plot and a complicated array of hazy memories recounted by a narrator who sometimes tells the story the way she hoped it had happened. Nevertheless, The Gathering is beautiful, touching and very interesting - I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend it to anyone who wants to read about a fresh view on a broken family.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Gathering'.

A Definite Don't-Read

Charlotte Gray - Sebastian Faulks

Why? Why? Why did I read this book? It's taken me about a month or so to get through it purely because I had no motivation to get to the end. And, exactly as I expected, I gained nothing from actually getting to the 497th page.

This book supposedly follows the epic 'odessey' of Charlotte Gray, a Scottish girl sent on an errand in occupied France for an under-cover agency. It is the peak of World War Two, and Charlotte is not only on a mission on behalf of the allies, she is also on her own mission to find her lover, Peter Gregory, a pilot missing in action.

There are many things wrong with this book. The most prominent is the number of characters - there are so many that a) you can't remember who each of them are b) you don't care enough about the outcome of any of their lives and c) even by the end of the book , even Charlotte seems to have a forgotten about half of them.

The second thing that wound me up is the lack of action. This novel is the journey of one woman but really, it's just about her survival, her ordinary day-to-day life, which in a fictional novel tends to wear on you a bit. After all, I don't read a book to satisfy my need for the mundane. Yes, it's about WWII and yes, she undercover in France. There is, of course, a sub-plot following three jews who are taken into the extreme and awful conditions and in theory it seems disrespectful to find the story uninteresting. However, there really is nothing exceptional about these particular sub-plots and because the characters are so undeveloped, sympathy for them specifically is limited.

Finally, there is just so much of this book. So many long, long pages of Faulks' style - journalistic, unemotional writing. Even where there is potential for excitement (a suppressed childhood memory that led to Charlotte's teenage depression, Charlotte nearly exposing herself at the public baths) it is completely brushed over and ignored as the author moves onto another sub-plot soon to be forgotten.

I know I'm being very negative about this novel but I really couldn't justify anything positive. Not only was I dissatisfied at the end but I was dissatisfied and frustrated throughout the entire book. I made no connection to any character, including the eponymous protagonist and I guess I just got nothing from Charlotte Gray whatsoever. I was bored, and this review is the only good (?) thing to have come from reading this one. Sorry Faulks.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Charlotte Gray'.

A Twenty-First Century Fable

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

Whenever I describe this book to people, I always find myself using the same words - "Oh, it's such a cute story", which, for a story about the Holocaust, might come as a surprise. Somehow though, it just is.

This book follows nine-year-old Bruno as he is forced to leave his luxury home in Berlin and move to 'Out-With' (one of many puns easily understood by an older reader). Driven by boredom from the lack of friends and activities in his new house, Bruno begins exploring. From his bedroom window he can see thousands of people dressed in striped pyjamas, so one day he walks along the fence that separates them, only to come across Schmuel. Despite being divided by a barrier of metal and barbed wire, the two boys befriend each other, oblivious to their differences and brought together by their own unhappiness.

Although this book is a children's book, it seems to rely on the reader's understanding of Auschwitz and the Holocaust in order to be fully appreciated. In this sense I believe it appeals to an older audience, as I imagine nine-year-olds of the modern day would read this novel with the same confusion that Bruno feels, and the ending especially would invite many hard-to-answer questions.

Bruno narrates the story, and tells it with the blissful ignorance of his age. He is naive of the horrors of World War Two, and ironically feels it's utterly unfair that Schmuel gets to be on his side of the fence where there are plenty of people to play with. The language that Boyne uses to depict this child's world and his thought processes is delightful and believable, and it is almost comforting to know that Bruno's worst problems are boredom and an annoying sister.

Some have criticised the plausibility of the story, saying that Bruno, as the Commandant's son, was unlikely to have escaped the indoctrination of the Hitler Youth and Nazi propaganda. However, the beauty of this book lies in Bruno's innocence, and it makes the ending far more harrowing and hard-hitting. In fact, the little boy is taught the history of the 'Fatherland', but thoughts of exploring and meeting his new friend occupy his mind and he seems to resist the Nazi sentiments, unlike his sister.

Ultimately, this book is a perfect read -it is quick, interesting and (I have to resist writing the word 'cute' here) enjoyable. The childlike nature of the writing disguises the deeper, 'grown-up' issues that surround the Holocaust, but it is written in such a way as to make them recognisable. I would warn against children under the age of 12 reading it, purely because, despite being from a child's perspective, it needs an older mind, and a background knowledge of the Second World War to perceive the real morals of the story. Nevertheless, it is well worth reading as a shocking fable of the modern day.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'.

'What I do I do because I like to do'

A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess

Anthony Burgess’ novel, A Clockwork Orange, is without a doubt a masterpiece of modern writing. Made doubly famous by Stanley Kubrick’s controversial film adaptation, the original text caused just as much of a stir when published as it became the first book of its kind.

This is Alex’s story: a tyrannical, Mozart-loving youth, who roams the streets at night with his ‘droogs’ committing ultra-violence. However, raping and pillaging soon take Alex to prison, where he undergoes a brainwashing experiment to reform him into becoming a good citizen.

The novel is, on a basic level, a discussion of good and evil and the freedom of choice. Burgess looks at the imposing levels of state control in an age that is extremely relevant to today’s society: the age of technology. It is a society restricted by heavy laws, indoctrinated by the media and living in fear of a seemingly uncontrollable sub-culture of rebellious, violent youths. Sound familiar?

However, when the state starts to try and reduce the numbers in its crowded prisons by brainwashing criminals into feeling physically ill at the sight and thought of violence, individual liberty is jeopardised. Burgess looks at the frighteningly real possibility that as the state becomes more desperate to control its citizens and ‘protect’ them from violence, freedom of choice will become a thing of the past. Alex becomes mechanical, a ‘clockwork’ being under someone else’s control, so could we all become the same?

Burgess’ protagonist tells his story in a language (Nadsat) created for him and his fellow teenagers. It is related to Russian, as the book was written in the Cold War, and with it Burgess creates a completely unique style for the book. Nevertheless, the anglicised words are easily recognisable and you find yourself connecting with Alex and sympathising with him and his violent ways.

Alex’s journey throughout A Clockwork Orange is an interesting one, which portrays life from the side of the ‘bad’. What he does he does out of choice but when that choice is removed, Alex becomes as much a victim of society as the victims of his own violence. Burgess forces us to rethink what makes the good and what makes the evil, but whatever you might think, this novel is an absolute must-read.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'A Clockwork Orange'.

A Bitter Booker Disappointment

Amsterdam - Ian McEwan

This was a novel I really wanted to read. I was still buzzing from the brilliance of Atonement when I found Amsterdam in a local charity shop - I couldn't wait to get stuck into something just as good, if not better. Thing is, when I did get stuck into it, I didn't really get stuck.

Amsterdam is the story of two old friends who meet outside a crematorium at the funeral of a mutual friend and lover. Molly Lane's death prompts Vernon Halliday and Clive Linley to rethink their lives and their friendship. In the following days, Vernon makes fatal decisions as editor of a quality broadsheet, The Judge, and Clive, a successful modern composer, searches for the perfect melody for the millennium. The blurb describes the book as "brimming with surprises", but it was about as surprising as the force of gravity.

This book was merely a journey through a troubled few weeks in the lives of a couple of ordinary men. I was expecting brilliant writing and a brilliant storyline, especially as Atonement was only shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2001 and Amsterdam actually won it in 1998. I suppose I ought not to raise my expectations too high, but I'm definitely not as keen on trusting the judges of these prizes.

To be fair to McEwan, his writing is evocative and skilled, but it doesn't have the familiar technique of using particular words, phrases and vocabulary to create an unmistakable atmosphere. There is nothing about the plot that keeps the reader hooked other than a mere curiosity to see if anything is actually ever going to happen. The ending is similar to the "and I woke up to find it was all a dream" ending and the characters were about as interesting as my big toe. To keep it short, Amsterdam was an utter disappointment. Alain de Botton, of the Daily Mail, called it, "A page-turner" - but I'm afraid the only thing that should turn these pages is the wind.

If you do feel compelled to read any of McEwan's novels, make sure it is Atonement. That is one novel that won't let you down.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Amsterdam".

McEwan Magnificence

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Before writing about Atonement, I looked back over my review of On Chesil Beach, also by McEwan. I'd titled it 'A Moment in Time Can Change a Lifetime', and I've found that Atonement focuses very much on the same idea - one moment, one single action altering the course of many lives.

Atonement has become incredibly well known, since being released as a film, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, in 2007. The Novel itself, however, was published in 2001, and shortlisted for the booker prize in the same year. Fortunately, I have not seen the film and can praise Atonement purely as a literary masterpiece without my comments being soiled by impressions from the film.

The story begins on one very hot summer's day in 1935, during which thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses her older sister, Cecilia, plunging into the garden fountain in her underwear. Robbie Turner watches as she undresses and sinks into the water and soon Briony allows her creative imagination to explore ideas suspended between childhood and adulthood. Her mind eventually leads to her "crime", causing unforgivable shame and irreparable rifts amongst her family.

I mentioned in reviewing On Chesil Beach that McEwan has a remarkable talent for creating atmosphere with language. Of course every good author should be able to create scenes through subtle descriptions and well chosen vocabulary but McEwan is different - every word, every syllable echoes the story and the events to come. The beginning of the story evokes the erotic - from the "sticky" afternoon heat to the description of a fifteen-year-old girl indulging in chocolate. There is something vulgar about McEwan's language making the intimacy between characters seem gross and perverse - and so it should. Everything about McEwan's language is pitched perfectly to the story.

The second part of the novel takes Robbie through Dunkirk in 1940 and is a satisfying account of the war, carefully avoiding cliche. Here the writing is gripping and painful but Robbie's likable character is enough to keep us reading. Erotica is gone from McEwan's writing as the need to portray the reality of horrific history takes hold. But, enough about the plot.

Back to McEwan, there are two things I want to mention. Firstly, there is a moment of truly brilliant writing in the final fifty pages of the novel. I read about ten pages with my nose getting closer and closer to the paper - soon I to realised the words were losing their focus. I was desperate to be included more as my heart raced along with Briony's narrative. The writer is truly magnificent in his writing, describing everything down to the smallest subconscious gestures of the human being.

The second thing is not so good. There is one sex scene which seems utterly unreal to me. Without giving too much away, two virgins realise within one afternoon that they are in love and start having rampant, violent sex against a book case. Biting each other and making love without words, it seems like a very unlikely type of intimacy between two first time lovers. Especially as their love unfolds as everlasting, based upon this first discovery of their feelings for each other.

Despite this, I can safely say that Atonement is definitely worth reading. It is the best book I have read in some time and, whereas McEwan thoroughly disappointed me with On Chesil Beach, with Atonement he blew me away. I'm even looking out for a copy of Amsterdam, a novel that went on to win the 1998 booker prize, to read more of this talented writer. Ultimately, Atonement is a fantastic exploration of guilt and innocence, betrayal and forgiveness, love and hatred - pick up a copy and let it blow your mind.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Atonement".

A Simple Issue of Right and Wrong

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Ok, so perhaps the issue in this book is not that simple. It tells the tale of Atticus Finch - lawyer, well-respected gentleman, widow and father of two. Through the eyes of his young daughter, Scout, you witness Atticus' unwinnable fight against the racism that raged through America in the 1930s, as he tries to defend a young black man accused of rape.

Racism continues to be a sensitive issue and has a history as old as the world. However, Lee's book approaches it in a completely unique way - from a child's point of view. Ok, so there have been other books that approach racism from a child's perspective, Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman for example, but they don't tell it in quite the same way. The narrator is 6 years old at the beginning of the book and by the end of it, only 9. I'm sure many of us can still remember the weightless, carefree life we led, where the most stressful thing was how many sweets you could get for 10p and for how long you could make them last. That same lifestyle is applied to Scout.

Scout, her brother, Jem and best friend, Dill all share the same fantasy - 'Boo' Radley. The man next door that hasn't been seen or spoken about for years by the Finches or anyone else in the town. They think up endless games and ways to tempt him from his house, despite warnings not to, and Scout, despite her private fears of her invisible neighbour, plays along to keep up with the two older boys. She is reckless, scrappy and determined and her life revolves around her father, reading and 'Boo' Radley. Therefore, when the trial of Tom Robinson enters her life, she does not consider it any different from any other trial fought by Atticus.

It is this stance that makes the book so touching - Scout does not consider the 'coloured' people any different. There was a time when none of us considered each other any different - whether it was the girl in the wheelchair, the boy with the ginger hair or the man with one arm, no one was different to you. As children, everyone is equal.

With this childlike perspective, To Kill a Mockingbird allows you to make your own mind up, not only about the issue of racism, but also about all the prejudices often faced by people everyday. Whether you're the bitter, old woman who insults people to hide her own problems, or the lonely Mayella Ewell, people often judge others before they know the full story - most people that is, excepting children.

It needn't be said but this book is a brilliantly written, brilliantly constructed account of a single issue of prejudice that embodies every picture. What Lee is teaching us is to view the people with the innocent mind of a child every once in a while, rather than make judgements formed by years of heartache, sterotypes and experience. Whilst sometimes our experience can come in handy, by judging people before we know them we may be missing some of the best experiences of our lives. There will be some experiences we should avoid and others that we should embrace, but in both cases we should put ourselves more freely in other people's shoes. Maybe then we will even get a better view of ourselves.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'To Kill a Mockingbird'.