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A review by nietzschesghost
The Island by M.A. Bennett
4.0
Having been gripped by M. A. Bennett's debut offering 'S.T.A.G.S.' I was excited about getting to read a copy of 'The Island', Both books are from the Teens & Young Adult market, feature prestigious private schools for those with more money than sense, and have thrilling elements and a deceptive darkness to them.
Link is a 16-year old American boy who has relocated to the UK with his parents after they're offered lecturing posts at the University of Oxford. Back in the U.S. he received home schooling so when his parents enrol him at the prestigious local private school Osney, he is more than a little anxious. When he turns out to be the slowest runner in an activity designed to determine school order, one of the strange traditions at the school, he immediately attracts the attention of the bullies. So when he is offered the chance to go on a summer school trip, voluntarily spending extra time with people who either mistreat or ignore him is certainly not something Link wants to subject himself to. But his parents only agree to let him leave Osney if he goes on the trip and he decides it is worth enduring to be able to leave them all behind for good later. Of course, the plane crashes and they find themselves stranded on an island (à la 'Lost') and somewhat predictably the dynamic shifts considerably. Link may not be an athlete but one thing he is is well read and is the only one who knows the things needed to survive on a desert island such as how to build a fire, how to find food and how to create shelter. What actually is sporting prowess going to achieve in your fight for survival on a desert island with noone but your peers?
This book took me back to my school days and a time when I endured a lot. Not only was I diagnosed with two debilitating illnesses at age fifteen, I was going through some pretty horrible bullying too. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of other people who endured far worse but I wanted to highlight that I understand the narrative and the harrowing outcomes this behaviour causes at such a young age. I recognise the home schooling too, having also had the same. All of this meant I had an enormous amount of empathy for Link and his situation. The fact that he ends up becoming bigheaded from the power in the end is sad but not really much of a surprise given the lack of control he's had over his life and happiness in the majority of this novel. We learn a lot of important messages from the story with the statement 'treat others as you would like to be treat' being a moral message to take away from it. I hope that many young people pick up this book for that very reason, the messages it sends out are certainly crucial ones for a well-rounded, happy and upstanding individual to uphold. Other issues the book explores include misogyny, responsibility, abuse of power, revenge/retribution and desperation - the author does this with tact and in a way that is suitable for a teenage audience.
All in all, Bennett's characterisation was exquisite, she did a great job of making most of the characters detestable and the twist during the concluding pages of the book was satisfying - I certainly hadn't predicted it. If you enjoyed S.T.A.G.S. then this will also strike a chord with you.
Many thanks to Hot Key Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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Link is a 16-year old American boy who has relocated to the UK with his parents after they're offered lecturing posts at the University of Oxford. Back in the U.S. he received home schooling so when his parents enrol him at the prestigious local private school Osney, he is more than a little anxious. When he turns out to be the slowest runner in an activity designed to determine school order, one of the strange traditions at the school, he immediately attracts the attention of the bullies. So when he is offered the chance to go on a summer school trip, voluntarily spending extra time with people who either mistreat or ignore him is certainly not something Link wants to subject himself to. But his parents only agree to let him leave Osney if he goes on the trip and he decides it is worth enduring to be able to leave them all behind for good later. Of course, the plane crashes and they find themselves stranded on an island (à la 'Lost') and somewhat predictably the dynamic shifts considerably. Link may not be an athlete but one thing he is is well read and is the only one who knows the things needed to survive on a desert island such as how to build a fire, how to find food and how to create shelter. What actually is sporting prowess going to achieve in your fight for survival on a desert island with noone but your peers?
This book took me back to my school days and a time when I endured a lot. Not only was I diagnosed with two debilitating illnesses at age fifteen, I was going through some pretty horrible bullying too. Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of other people who endured far worse but I wanted to highlight that I understand the narrative and the harrowing outcomes this behaviour causes at such a young age. I recognise the home schooling too, having also had the same. All of this meant I had an enormous amount of empathy for Link and his situation. The fact that he ends up becoming bigheaded from the power in the end is sad but not really much of a surprise given the lack of control he's had over his life and happiness in the majority of this novel. We learn a lot of important messages from the story with the statement 'treat others as you would like to be treat' being a moral message to take away from it. I hope that many young people pick up this book for that very reason, the messages it sends out are certainly crucial ones for a well-rounded, happy and upstanding individual to uphold. Other issues the book explores include misogyny, responsibility, abuse of power, revenge/retribution and desperation - the author does this with tact and in a way that is suitable for a teenage audience.
All in all, Bennett's characterisation was exquisite, she did a great job of making most of the characters detestable and the twist during the concluding pages of the book was satisfying - I certainly hadn't predicted it. If you enjoyed S.T.A.G.S. then this will also strike a chord with you.
Many thanks to Hot Key Books for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Read less