A young man of 20, Gabriel (real name Anwell), lies in a hospital bed in an all white room and remembers his childhood in a small Outback town. His parents, cold and unfeeling, made him responsible for the care of his developmentally delayed older brother; a situation that led to tragedy when the older boy died while under his brother's care. Shortly after this, Anwell meets Finnigan, a feral child who lives in the mountains outside of town. The two boys make a pact, Finnigan will do only bad, so that Anwell, who takes the name Gabriel, can do only good, thus avoiding the ire of his perfectionist and appearance obsessed parents. To this end, Finnigan sets fires throughout the town, to the anger and confusion of Gabriel's father. The pact between the two boys remains intact till they are 16 and Gabriel falls in love with a local girl. Gabriel's feelings for the girl, combined with the actions of the boys' beloved dog, Surrender, force the two to an impasse, and cause Gabriel to snap.

I honestly don't know what to think of this book. Boring, is the first word that comes to mind, but I stuck with it longer than I would another book I didn't care for. Not much happens in the first 3/4 of the book, but Hartnett's use of language is evocative and lyrical, which might carry a reader through. Despite the lovely language, I did feel oddly removed from the events of the novel, horrific though they are. The twist ending is less clear than I think it could be, and might confuse the average teen reader. I think I need to let this one percolate for a while. I see why it won the Printz, but don't know if I'd recommend it. (cross-posted from MeriJenBen) ( )

The language was beautiful in this book...but I hated it. Well, maybe not hate, but I didn't like it. I was sorry that it was the only book I had with me on the plane. It was just too dark, too "deep", too contrived, etc. Doubt that I will recommend it to anyone...in 5 years it will be interesting to see how this book has circulated. ( )

this book was alright. i really liked the language in it but sometimes i got a tiny bit confused. ( )

In a muggy and tired Australian country town, a delicate boy by the name of Anwell lives with his oppressive parents. At age 20, Anwell is wasting away on his deathbed, the victim of an unidentifiable disease. In the meantime, his childhood friend, the wild child arsonist Finnigan, roams with his dog, Surrender, who used to be Anwell’s. Told in flashbacks, Anwell remembers his moments with Finnigan, his psychotic control-freak parents, his crush Evangeline, Surrender, and the time he and Finnigan came up with a nickname for himself: Gabriel, the angel. So Gabriel was the good boy and Finnigan the bad.

The town of Mulyan has been rampaged by a firebug on and off for the past few years. These fires tear the town apart and alienate Gabriel’s family even more from everyone. The firebug was never caught, and suspicions and accusations abound and break down any sense of trust this small town could have. The years pass and Gabriel’s parents become more controlling and restrictive. It is only some time before Gabriel finally snaps, and when he does, what secrets do we the readers learn as a result?

Sonya Hartnett has written a beautiful yet tortuous novel. Poetic elegance flows within every sentence. Every single word has been painstakingly chosen for its significance. And from this prose foundation grows a touching and haunting story about the power of parental abuse on a vulnerable child’s mind. ( )

A young man of 20, Gabriel (real name Anwell), lies in a hospital bed in an all white room and remembers his childhood in a small Outback town. His parents, cold and unfeeling, made him responsible for the care of his developmentally delayed older brother; a situation that led to tragedy when the older boy died while under his brother's care. Shortly after this, Anwell meets Finnigan, a feral child who lives in the mountains outside of town. The two boys make a pact, Finnigan will do only bad, so that Anwell, who takes the name Gabriel, can do only good, thus avoiding the ire of his perfectionist and appearance obsessed parents. To this end, Finnigan sets fires throughout the town, to the anger and confusion of Gabriel's father. The pact between the two boys remains intact till they are 16 and Gabriel falls in love with a local girl. Gabriel's feelings for the girl, combined with the actions of the boys' beloved dog, Surrender, force the two to an impasse, and cause Gabriel to snap.

I honestly don't know what to think of this book. Boring, is the first word that comes to mind, but I stuck with it longer than I would another book I didn't care for. Not much happens in the first 3/4 of the book, but Hartnett's use of language is evocative and lyrical, which might carry a reader through. Despite the lovely language, I did feel oddly removed from the events of the novel, horrific though they are. The twist ending is less clear than I think it could be, and might confuse the average teen reader. I think I need to let this one percolate for a while. I see why it won the Printz, but don't know if I'd recommend it. ( )