"Kill All Enemies" is the second Melvin Burgess book that I have read and, much like the first, I was not in any way disappointed.
The story line follows three very different characters. We follow the lives of: Billie; the aggressive teenager attempting to regain control of herself after being subjected to neglect from her alcoholic mother for over ten years, Rob; the boy that gets constantly bullied at school, just for the way he is, yet cannot get enough courage to tell his mother that his step-dad not only bullies him but also abuses him, Chris; the ambitious entrepreneur that is reluctant to actually do any work in life, yet still believes himself to be the next Lord Alan Sugar and Hannah; the social worker that cannot help but get attached to the children that she helps.
But when their lives collide, the reader begins to question which story is the lie? Are these three mischievous no-hopers; or are they secretly battling for their lives. Bullying, abuse and prostitution are all present within this story; however, do the characters even know what's happening to them; or are they victims of blind acceptance of the fact of what their lives have become.
Within this book we begin to question all of the bullies that we have ever experienced; all of the children being bullied in the playground; and all of the people, dirty and asleep on a park bench. What secrets are behind their situation? How did they become what they are now? Burgess forces us to look deeper into the lives of people that we turn our noses up at, or just dismiss at sight; are these things that these people do actually cries for help?
Using real stories and real knowledge, with a fictional twist, Burgess has created an incredible book that asks the reader to re-evaluate first impressions and makes us realise that we are witnesses to many misconceptions of life.
Rating: 4.2/5
No comments:
Post a Comment