I received this through Early Reviewers a couple of years ago, but didn't realise that's where it came from until I started reading it a few days ago, hence the late review!

I was intrigued by the main premise of the book - the story of how the lone survivor of a school shooting deals with the trauma seems, on the face of it, to be a fascinating one.

Unfortunately, I don't think the execution lived up to the promising storyline. I found the writing style hard to get to grips with, and the editing could have been a lot better - the language was quite clunky (especially the constant repetition of 'smile' and 'happy' - that's all the characters ever do, despite the dark tone of the plot). Americanisms such as 'third grade', 'problem set', 'elevator' and so on didn't really help to set the scene in leafy Oxfordshire, either.

I also found it difficult to get a firm grasp of Nate's character/personality and why I should care for him beyond the tragedy he goes through, and other characters (apart from his mum and Eric) were similarly vague/odd. It doesn't help that not much happens between the shooting and the final quarter or so of the book, and that the ending - as others here have said - is very sudden, not to mention a bit extreme.

It's a shame, as the story could have been an excellent one. But I think in this instance it wasn't told quite as well as it could have been, and I had to force myself to get through it quickly so I could move on to something else. ( )

Good story idea, not-so-good execution.

The beginning immediately drew me in, as the action of the story began right away. However, the book went downhill from there. There didn't seem to be a point to most of the book (I ended up skimming the second half of it), and I very much disliked the end — although, to be honest, I was happy to finally be done with the book in general. In addition, I didn't like any of the characters or understand their motivations most of the time, and the excessive swearing and random graphic sexual content was completely unneeded. There could have been a big reveal at the end where we figure out what REALLY happened that day, but it came too soon and was too quick. And then the book. kept. going. Disappointing. ( )

I won Black Chalk through LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

This was an incredible book, very beautifully written. From the first page I was absolutely hooked. Alla describes Nathan’s guilt and remorse so clearly and expertly I found myself feeling all the pain right along with him. This story had a profound effect on me and I feel like it’ll stay with me for a long time.
I’m very excited for future books by Alla. He’s demonstrated himself as a wonderful writer. ( )

What would you do if one of your friends went on a shooting rampage at your high school and handed you a gun? Nate the protaganist of this story has to deal with survivors guilt and also having a relationship with his dead best friend's sister seven years later. The guilt and the remorse in this story take you to lows and highs in that order. I enoyed Albert Alla's work and will read him again. ( )

The back of the book says that Black Chalk is "... an unsettling tale of passion and guilt," and I totally agree with that statement. The first half is about 'the incident' and how the young Nate copes with the after effects, with the second half being about the here and now.

I enjoyed the book, particularly the first half. I perhaps didn't feel as much sympathy with the main character as I wanted to, but I think that was because that he was how he wanted me to feel about him. Things seemed to happen to him, and he went along with it (which is also something that is mentioned on the back of the book - him being easily led).

In the second half of the book, I found myself drifting a little bit. I wasn't keen on some of the characters, particularly Leona - again, I think that was how I was supposed to feel. You could tell that something was going to happen and that it wouldn't be a book with a happy ending.

All in all, it was an enjoyable read, and a good first novel for Albert Alla. I would certainly read any other books he writes. ( )