Just look at the cover of this book. Doesn’t it intrigue you? Read my review to become totally roped in.
Blurb
Perfectly Normal by Jadie Renwick
Angel’s a perfectly normal young adult – except she’s spent the last eleven years in secure accommodation, locked up under the Children Act because it appeared she was ‘likely to injure’ herself or others.It was not a miscarriage of justice; there was no justice at all. There was no trial, no barrister to argue her case, no jury to decide on her guilt. And she has no memory of what she allegedly did, high up on a dark and windy headland in East Sussex, back in 2007. She’s determined to discover what happened and why, and where her true destiny lies.
Review
I have to admit that it took me a while to figure this book out. While now I would put this under the thriller genre, it has the elements of so many others: it reads a bit like chic-lit, at times it felt supernatural, and there was one point I thought maybe it was taking a sci-fi route. I guess that makes for an interesting read.
And it was an interesting read. I was so eager to discover Angel’s past that I flew through Perfectly Normal. In fact, I was equally intrigued to discover how her future would turn out and how her relationship with “Mother”, her carer, would develop outside the institution. And, because I didn’t form a bond with any of the characters, I was kept somewhat as a neutral observer throughout the course of the book.
Perfectly Normal also gets the brain thinking. You can come to your own conclusion as to whether or not trying a child for a crime is ok and, likewise, detaining a child under the Mental Health Act for a long period of time. The book also delves into the area of mental health quite a lot. The author never really clarifies if Angel is diagnosed with anything so I can’t really determine if mental health is dealt with in a sensitive manner. I feel more research around mental health and child crime would have help with this matter.
If Perfectly Normal intrigues you too, you can pick up a copy today.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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