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A review by michalice
Silent Saturday by Helen Grant
3.0
I first heard about Silent Saturday at a blogger event a few months ago. When I was contacted about reviewing this book I jumped at the chance. Silent Saturday follows Veerle as she struggles to cope with her overbearing, overprotective Mother, that even though Veerle is seventeen, her Mother treats her like a child, wanting to know where she is, what she is doing. The events that set this off occurred when Veerle was younger and had more freedom, and as the days go on her Mother is getting worse, refusing to learn Flemish, having to rely on Veerle to make payments, read letters, even going as far as locking Veerle in her room.
Veerle ends up stumbling upon her old friend Kris, a boy she knew when they were younger, at an old castle. When she discovers the reason for Kris's presence at the castle Veerle is initially worried until she learns more about it. Kris and a few others, break into people houses, or borrow keys to get inside and live the life of luxury for one night. While there, as repayment they fix things or clean as a way of saying thank you.
As Silent Saturday progresses a new problem is added into the mix. People from this small group are found dead, or disappear completely off the radar. As the body count mounts up and a near miss by Kris and Veerle, they soon put all the pieces together and realise that they are not as safe as they initially thought, and are now being hunted.
I enjoyed Silent Saturday more than what I thought I would and I thought it was funny that Kris breaks into peoples homes but doesn't steal or trash the place, he tidies, fixes, or does what needs fixing up as a thank you for staying there. This concept was a refreshing chance to what usually happens when a house is broken in to, each house is treated with respect and care and left mostly as it was found, with only the occasional bottle of alcohol or frozen meal missing.
I enjoyed the mystery behind the murders and we don't get to find out what person is missing or dead till a while after the fact, and it's not till near the end of the book the it is revealed who is the hunter, and it wasn't who I expected. The last few chapters of Silent Saturday had me on the edge of my seat, wondering about what was going to happen to Kris and Veerle, would they make it, how would Veerle's Mother react to the news. The last few pages were bitter sweet for Veerle, but I am not telling you why. Silent Saturday concludes well for the story, but I would love to see what happens next.
Veerle ends up stumbling upon her old friend Kris, a boy she knew when they were younger, at an old castle. When she discovers the reason for Kris's presence at the castle Veerle is initially worried until she learns more about it. Kris and a few others, break into people houses, or borrow keys to get inside and live the life of luxury for one night. While there, as repayment they fix things or clean as a way of saying thank you.
As Silent Saturday progresses a new problem is added into the mix. People from this small group are found dead, or disappear completely off the radar. As the body count mounts up and a near miss by Kris and Veerle, they soon put all the pieces together and realise that they are not as safe as they initially thought, and are now being hunted.
I enjoyed Silent Saturday more than what I thought I would and I thought it was funny that Kris breaks into peoples homes but doesn't steal or trash the place, he tidies, fixes, or does what needs fixing up as a thank you for staying there. This concept was a refreshing chance to what usually happens when a house is broken in to, each house is treated with respect and care and left mostly as it was found, with only the occasional bottle of alcohol or frozen meal missing.
I enjoyed the mystery behind the murders and we don't get to find out what person is missing or dead till a while after the fact, and it's not till near the end of the book the it is revealed who is the hunter, and it wasn't who I expected. The last few chapters of Silent Saturday had me on the edge of my seat, wondering about what was going to happen to Kris and Veerle, would they make it, how would Veerle's Mother react to the news. The last few pages were bitter sweet for Veerle, but I am not telling you why. Silent Saturday concludes well for the story, but I would love to see what happens next.