The Disturbing Dark of Gail Giles
All of Gail Giles’ books are dark but not dark for dark’s sake. She writes of the dark underbelly our teens unfortunately sometimes find themselves under. This book is about a teen boy who must shed his identity to cover a harrowing secret — that he set a boy on fire when he was a child. As always, Giles is amazingly voiced in giving voice to her teen protagonists and the voice of Kip / Wade is no different. The reader is both captivated and deeply disturbed by this character. I sympathized but still grappled with him because of his crime, even if it was somewhat of an accident. It is a chilling illustration of the possibility of someone going out of their skull. In moments one’s life can take a fast and sharp turn for the deplorable — both a terrifying and intriguing element to ponder. Giles is one teen author who talks about the elephant in the room within the house of the teen experience.
This (just as all of Giles’ books) could make for a great book for a teen book discussion group, especially a dialogue about forgiveness, redemption, and seeking one’s place in the world.
As always, the relationships in the book are richly textured and interesting. I always feel invested in every character Giles creates. And, as always, this is a great book for those reluctant teen readers. The reluctant readers I come across always love Giles and they are always very excited about how fast it went, like: I read it in one sitting in like 2 hours! Accomplished feelings like that and a great, fast-paced story are often the key to getting a teen excited about reading — always always a great thing.
