This Is Not Forgiveness

by Celia Rees

Overview

Everyone says Caro is bad, but Jamie can't help himself. She is totally different from the other girls. But he soon realizes there is more to Caro-much more. Consider: How she disappears for days at a time, or the scars on her wrists, or her talk of revolution and taking action. Jamie's also worried about his older brother Rob. Back from Afghanistan and struggling with PTSD, Rob is living in a world of his own. Which is why it's so strange that Rob and Caro know one another-and why their secrets feel so very dangerous.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781599907772
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication date:	10/16/2012
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	758 KB
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

CELIA REES is the author of many acclaimed and bestselling books for young readers including the Witch Child, Sorceress, Pirates!, Sovay, and The Fool's Girl, and her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. Celia lives in England.
www.celiarees.com

Editorial Reviews

Gr 10 Up—A dark, haunting story of love, betrayal, and loss. When Jamie meets Caro, he instantly falls for the mysterious, intoxicating girl. Her physical beauty, her unconventional ways (rumors of her past involvement with older men, the scars on her wrists, her passion for political activism), and her wild, independent streak are a heady mixture that the inexperienced teenager can't resist. She becomes involved with his older brother, Rob, a former soldier back from Afghanistan with physical and emotional wounds, but Caro's refusal to be tied down only increases Jamie's infatuation. Though the graphic dialogue and colloquial style of the protagonists' voices add an authentic flavor, the language still retains a lyrical feel. By employing several narrators and slowly dropping hints about Caro and Rob's actual intentions, Rees imbues the novel with an intentionally disjointed tone that mirrors Jamie's own mindset as he eventually discovers that the two are hiding a far more dangerous secret. The use of multiple perspectives infuses the characters with depth and nuance; Caro in particular is portrayed as both the alluring object of Jamie's affections and as a troubled adolescent coping with feelings of alienation and pain. Rees conveys the sensuality of young lust and the aching, all-consuming feeling of first love with candor and tenderness. A powerful novel that should resonate with both teens and adults.Mahnaz Dar, School Library Journal

School Library Journal

A dark and dangerous thrill ride pushes teen readers to the brink of their comfort zones when it comes to issues of love, lust, politics, family and war. Despite repeated warnings, Jamie can't resist the sexy and mysterious Caro. He would do anything for her, and she knows it. What he doesn't know is that Caro and his older brother Rob have a secret past. Rees revels in an unapologetic exploration of extremes in this smart and well-crafted novel. The brothers are perfect foils for each other, with Jamie an eager-to-please, typical teen, and Rob a menacing and tragic war veteran prone to terrifyingly violent outbursts. Though Caro's manipulations of the brothers for her own political gain drive the action of the story, the relationship between the two siblings provides its molten emotional core. As Rob becomes increasingly unhinged, Jamie's desperation to claim Caro as his own and to assert himself in his relationship with his brother becomes a matter of life and death. Though the portrayal of Rob's deteriorating mental state is raw and often uncomfortable, in the end, the honest, uncensored storytelling makes this a tale that will stay with readers long after the final page is turned. (Fiction. 14 & up)

Kirkus Reviews