Born Scared by Kevin Brooks
The Blurb On The Back:
She’s out there somewhere, Ella says quietly.
I look up at the sky and see nothing but white darkness.
She needs you.
“Hold my hand,” I whisper.
Elliot is terrified of almost everything. The only things that keep his fears in check are the pills that he takes every day, and his mother, the one person he loves and trusts.
A mistake means that Elliot’s medication is almost gone. His mother nips out to collect his prescription. It’s just 482 metres down the road - but she doesn’t come back. Does Elliot stay and wait, or does he try to find her? It’s only 482 metres. It might as well be 482 miles …
13-year-old Elliot has been scared of everything since birth. He and his twin sister, Ellamay, were born 26 weeks premature but only Elliot survived - he still talks to her though (keeping it secret because it upsets his mum and the Doc, who’s trying to treat him). Elliot rarely leaves the house and doesn’t go to school because his fears overwhelm him. The Doc has found a tablet that helps keep his fear in check though - as long as he can take them, he can cope.
When the pharmacy makes a mistake with his prescription two days before Christmas, Elliot realises that he doesn’t have enough to make it through Christmas Day. His aunt Shirley (who lives down the road from them) offers to pick up the prescription on Christmas Eve and drop it off. The pharmacy confirms that Shirley’s picked up the prescription, but now she’s not answering her phone. Elliot’s mum pops over to Shirley’s house to pick it up but doesn’t come back. Now Elliot has to make a decision: does he stay and wait or somehow summon up the courage to face down his fears and walk down the 482 metres to his aunt’s house?
Kevin Brooks’s latest YA novel is a good psychological study of fear and anxiety with a well drawn central character but the plot is contrived to the point of being ridiculous, which spoils the overall read. I really empathised with Elliot and his fears about everyday life - from other people (who he terms “monkems”) to animals to loud noises there really is no end to the things he’s afraid of and as a result, he’s isolated and sensory deprived, accessing the world through his laptop and what his mum tells him. I also liked his relationship with Ellamay (which could be interpreted as a way of dealing with his anxiety or as a supernatural element to the story) although I wished that there had been more substance to his relationship with his mother, which seemed sketched rather than real and didn’t seem to play down the stress on her life caused by Elliot’s condition. Unfortunately the plot (involving a robbery gone wrong) is ludicrous and Elliot’s journey interrupted by contrived circumstance and misunderstandings, which meant I couldn’t suspend disbelief. Ultimately this is a rare misfire from the talented Mr Brooks but I will definitely check out his next book.
The Verdict:
Kevin Brooks’s latest YA novel is a good psychological study of fear and anxiety with a well drawn central character but the plot is contrived to the point of being ridiculous, which spoils the overall read. I really empathised with Elliot and his fears about everyday life - from other people (who he terms “monkems”) to animals to loud noises there really is no end to the things he’s afraid of and as a result, he’s isolated and sensory deprived, accessing the world through his laptop and what his mum tells him. I also liked his relationship with Ellamay (which could be interpreted as a way of dealing with his anxiety or as a supernatural element to the story) although I wished that there had been more substance to his relationship with his mother, which seemed sketched rather than real and didn’t seem to play down the stress on her life caused by Elliot’s condition. Unfortunately the plot (involving a robbery gone wrong) is ludicrous and Elliot’s journey interrupted by contrived circumstance and misunderstandings, which meant I couldn’t suspend disbelief. Ultimately this is a rare misfire from the talented Mr Brooks but I will definitely check out his next book.
BORN SCARED was released in the United Kingdom on 8th September 2016. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
She’s out there somewhere, Ella says quietly.
I look up at the sky and see nothing but white darkness.
She needs you.
“Hold my hand,” I whisper.
Elliot is terrified of almost everything. The only things that keep his fears in check are the pills that he takes every day, and his mother, the one person he loves and trusts.
A mistake means that Elliot’s medication is almost gone. His mother nips out to collect his prescription. It’s just 482 metres down the road - but she doesn’t come back. Does Elliot stay and wait, or does he try to find her? It’s only 482 metres. It might as well be 482 miles …
13-year-old Elliot has been scared of everything since birth. He and his twin sister, Ellamay, were born 26 weeks premature but only Elliot survived - he still talks to her though (keeping it secret because it upsets his mum and the Doc, who’s trying to treat him). Elliot rarely leaves the house and doesn’t go to school because his fears overwhelm him. The Doc has found a tablet that helps keep his fear in check though - as long as he can take them, he can cope.
When the pharmacy makes a mistake with his prescription two days before Christmas, Elliot realises that he doesn’t have enough to make it through Christmas Day. His aunt Shirley (who lives down the road from them) offers to pick up the prescription on Christmas Eve and drop it off. The pharmacy confirms that Shirley’s picked up the prescription, but now she’s not answering her phone. Elliot’s mum pops over to Shirley’s house to pick it up but doesn’t come back. Now Elliot has to make a decision: does he stay and wait or somehow summon up the courage to face down his fears and walk down the 482 metres to his aunt’s house?
Kevin Brooks’s latest YA novel is a good psychological study of fear and anxiety with a well drawn central character but the plot is contrived to the point of being ridiculous, which spoils the overall read. I really empathised with Elliot and his fears about everyday life - from other people (who he terms “monkems”) to animals to loud noises there really is no end to the things he’s afraid of and as a result, he’s isolated and sensory deprived, accessing the world through his laptop and what his mum tells him. I also liked his relationship with Ellamay (which could be interpreted as a way of dealing with his anxiety or as a supernatural element to the story) although I wished that there had been more substance to his relationship with his mother, which seemed sketched rather than real and didn’t seem to play down the stress on her life caused by Elliot’s condition. Unfortunately the plot (involving a robbery gone wrong) is ludicrous and Elliot’s journey interrupted by contrived circumstance and misunderstandings, which meant I couldn’t suspend disbelief. Ultimately this is a rare misfire from the talented Mr Brooks but I will definitely check out his next book.
The Verdict:
Kevin Brooks’s latest YA novel is a good psychological study of fear and anxiety with a well drawn central character but the plot is contrived to the point of being ridiculous, which spoils the overall read. I really empathised with Elliot and his fears about everyday life - from other people (who he terms “monkems”) to animals to loud noises there really is no end to the things he’s afraid of and as a result, he’s isolated and sensory deprived, accessing the world through his laptop and what his mum tells him. I also liked his relationship with Ellamay (which could be interpreted as a way of dealing with his anxiety or as a supernatural element to the story) although I wished that there had been more substance to his relationship with his mother, which seemed sketched rather than real and didn’t seem to play down the stress on her life caused by Elliot’s condition. Unfortunately the plot (involving a robbery gone wrong) is ludicrous and Elliot’s journey interrupted by contrived circumstance and misunderstandings, which meant I couldn’t suspend disbelief. Ultimately this is a rare misfire from the talented Mr Brooks but I will definitely check out his next book.
BORN SCARED was released in the United Kingdom on 8th September 2016. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.