This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia
Rees
This Is Not Forgiveness is one
of those books that caught my eye a few months back just after it was
published. The romance angle on the blurb and in the trailer made me dither.
But then I was sent a copy for review. And I was surprised.
First off, This Is Not Forgiveness is not a romance in the
usual sense. I was also expecting a lot of fast-paced political activism. But,
This Is Not Forgiveness is actually not-nice-nor-sugary-sweet stirred with a
lot of vodka and sex - and something unpleasant lurking beneath the surface too.
It has all the ingredients for a very good psychological thriller.
The story opens with an urn full of ashes and the novel provides
a testament to how this death happened. The novel is presented from the
perspectives of the three main characters – Jamie, Rob and Caro - although the
ending sheds further light on the eyes of the novel’s telling. Jamie develops a
strong attraction for Caro but thinks she’ll never go for him. Rob, his
brother, is back from the war in Afghanistan and he is struggling to cope with
what some describe as post-traumatic-stress. Caro’s been expelled from school for
having an affair with a teacher and her latest inspiration comes from the
militant Red Faktion Army.
This Is Not Forgiveness is an account of how their
three lives became intermingled in a series of manipulations and deceits.
Amidst the grit, the plot is full of tensions and the
suspense building is simply foreboding. All along I was thinking, ‘Please, don’t
let it end like that. Or like that. Or like that.’ The character portrayals and
development are also substantial and I’ve had a lengthy conversation with
another adult about the characters in this novel and the kinds of judgements
that we made about them. Certainly, my judgements of the characters changed as
the story twisted and turned.
Stating the obvious, but different readers will take
different things from this novel. For some, it just won’t be their thing and
they won’t read it. For others, it might be something about teenage
relationships, or grappling with ways to change the world. For some, they might
see it is as a representation of the banality of contemporary teenagehood. For
me it was these things but mostly I read it as a biting commentary on how we
think about armies and more particularly the Afghan war.
The Testament of Jessie Lamb by Jane Rogers and
Noughts
& Crosses by Malorie Blackman, although speculative fictions, also have
central teen girl characters who are seriously exploring the different forms of
political action and the consequences of violent interventions. All three
novels are violent and hardhitting but
This Is Not Forgiveness is by far the
grittier. I’d even say it was grittier than
Noughts & Crosses – but not as
harsh.
Who’d I recommend it for? Older teens or adults. The
characters are mostly eighteen or older. Jamie might be seventeen – he’s
under-age for the pubs – and Rob is in his early twenties. But they’re all well
over the age for legitimate sex – and they’re not about to hold back. Like I
said, the story mix includes lots of vodka and sex.
Publication details:
Bloomsbury, 2012, London, paperback
This copy: received for review from the publisher
