What is this about: An exploration of the aftermath of the death of Benjamin Allen, a child who is killed by Danny and Graham, children themselves really. The book is ambitious as it tries to examine the parents and Danny and Graham’s POVs in this situation.
What else is this about: Not much else than what I said above.
Stars: 3
Blurb: We all make mistakes. Moments that change us and the path we are on irrevocably. For Rachel Allen it was the moment that she let her son’s hand slip from hers. For Danny Simpson and Graham Harris it was the moment one of them took it. Seven years ago Danny and Graham were just children themselves, angry, marginalized and unguided. That was, until they committed a crime so heinous that three families were left devastated. They were no longer just boys. They were monsters. Released from juvenile detention, it is time for the boys, now men, to start again; new names, new people. But they can never escape who they are or what they did. And their own families, now notorious; the Allens, destroyed with grief; and the country at large have never been able to forget. They will always be running. They will always be hiding. But are some mistakes too large, the ripples to far reaching, to outrun forever?
Do you remember the Jamie Bulger case? I do. God knows, it’s the first time I ever remember understanding or realising children can hurt other children.
The Wrong Hand follows Danny and Graham and Rachel and Mathew after and during Benjamin’s death. The author asks some complex questions: what causes a child to hurt another child? How does a parent grieve the loss of a child? Do they retreat from the world or do they seek revenge? How do parents even try to grieve in the glare of the media?
There are important questions and while the author has bold ambitions, the execution is lacking. Let me explain: Jago is a strong, compelling writer. She ventures into this arena with skill and empathy, creating characters that will break your heart… up to a point.
The issue I have with this book is that the incessant time and POV jumping — chapters are short as she follows Danny, Graham, Rachel, Mathew, a detective and a journalist seeking to bring the case back into the spotlight. Then she jumps from the present to the past (when Benjamin died) and there’s no rhyme or reason to when she does the time jump — by that I mean, the time jumps are literally to different parts of the past at different times.
Unfortunately, I found this distracting and it robbed me of the chance to know these characters better. Care is given to Danny and Graham after they leave their detention and begin new lives, but Rachel and Mathew I felt needed more attention — Mathew especially. He seems to be a footnote in this story.
Not to mention, the detective and a journalist that needed their own POVs in the book? It was too much. Media speculation is part and parcel of life in a situation like this, but in the end, the author has spread her narrative too thin. Too many POVs and too many time jumps lessened the impact of the very powerful themes this book want to take on.
Dammit.
There’s much goodness here, but it needed more of a focus.
I really like the premise – it’s an intriguing idea for a book. Sorry the time and POV jumps were too much though. It does sound like it would be difficult to really “fall into” the story if you will.
The premise was intense and I loved LOVED the idea of the book, but yeah, I think the author overstretched herself and the narrative. Which sucks monumentally sighs. I couldn’t really connect enough with any of the characters.
I think I’ll skip this — too many POVs can definitely ruin a book!
Oh definitely, no matter how good the premise is.
Not sure I would like the time jumping without a pattern. With this type of book I get distracted trying to figure out the author’s logic..lol
Exactly! And the worst thing is, there was so much goodness to be delved into if she had just focused.