In the decaying streets of Sunderland, twenty-one-year-old Chris Paige is barely holding on as guardian to his volatile, grieving thirteen-year-old-sister, Jess. When Jess vanishes one day, Chris's desperate hunt for answers unearths a devastating family truth - one that could destroy them both.
Raw, unflinching, and impossible to put down, Hope There's Someone is a gripping story of sibling loyalty, buried trauma, and how far one man will go to protect what little family he has left.
For fans of Shuggie Bain, Trainspotting, and This Is England. This is a raw and darkly funny portrait of grief, poverty, and lost potential in Modern Britain.
What did I think?
I always get a thrill out of seeing my local area in books and Lee Stewarts fiction debut is set in Sunderland. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the cover and the description but this is an absolutely cracking novel that's full of drama and it hooked me from the start.
I really felt for Chris who has given up has place at university to look after his sister when their mam dies. Chris and Jess are both grieving but Chris is struggling to make ends meet and Jess, with her teenage mood swings, doesn't make life any easier for him. Money has to come from somewhere and Chris inevitably gets tangled up with some dodgy characters.
The story took so many twists and turns as the past and present played out and I was completely riveted. I have to admit that I made an assumption about their mam's cause of death but I couldn't have been more wrong. Now that's what I call sharply plotted. Well played, Mr Stewart! Well played indeed.
Hope There's Someone is a dark and gritty novel that is filled with shocks and surprises. It has a young protagonist that you instantly root for and I loved every minute of it. Lee Stewart is one to watch and I'm going to be shouting about this book for a very long time. An easy five stars for this unmissable and unforgettable crime thriller.
Many thanks to the author for sending me a digital ARC; this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
Buy it from:
No comments:
Post a Comment