You Against Me - Jenny Downham
Published: 02/12/10
Publisher: David Fickling
Pages: 413
Years ago I read Before I Die by Jenny which was a powerful and incredibly moving book that stuck with me for a very long time after I’d finished it. It was a beautiful story about making every second count and so when I saw Jenny had written another book I was intrigued to see how upset this one would make me!
I had a very strange sense of deja vu when I read this book and I can’t for the life of me remember whether this is because I’ve read it before or because I’ve read something similar. Either way, I felt a strange sense of familiarity with the characters and their story.
What would you do if your brother was charged with rape and you were the only witness? What would you do if your sister had been raped but the boy charged pleads not guilty? These are the problems faced by Ellie and Mike. Neither one knows what to do, but when they meet, their two worlds collide with unpredictable consequences.
The subject matter of this book is one that can’t be taken or written about lightly and I was left feeling satisfied with the way Jenny treated the subject and the sensitivity that she demonstrated. Whilst rape was a serious theme that ran throughout the book, the main story was of two teenagers meeting in unlikely circumstances and trying to navigate a treacherous path to a future they wanted to spend together. It was a coming of age story set against a bleak backdrop that made the two teenagers and their relationship seem like a shining beacon.
The characters were well created and Mikey and Ellie developed beautifully as the story progressed. The secondary characters also went on some remarkable journeys and I found my opinions changing about certain characters as the book continued. There were a few characters who I found intolerable for the entirety but I feel they were perhaps supposed to come across in a negative light.
Jenny’s writing was sublime and I found myself hooked very quickly. My only issue is that I would have loved the book to have been longer and follow the characters so we could see what the verdict of the trial would have been. There were a few little places where the book lacked pace but this didn’t seem to affect the book at all because the rest of the novel moved at such a fast pace, it was nice to have some slow paced sections.
I gave this book four stars because I didn’t fall in love with it as much as I was hoping to but I got a lot from it and even though this is classed as YA fiction, I think any age group will be able to pick up this book and take a lot from it.
A worthwhile read about love, in all of its forms.
Publisher: David Fickling
Pages: 413
Years ago I read Before I Die by Jenny which was a powerful and incredibly moving book that stuck with me for a very long time after I’d finished it. It was a beautiful story about making every second count and so when I saw Jenny had written another book I was intrigued to see how upset this one would make me!
I had a very strange sense of deja vu when I read this book and I can’t for the life of me remember whether this is because I’ve read it before or because I’ve read something similar. Either way, I felt a strange sense of familiarity with the characters and their story.
What would you do if your brother was charged with rape and you were the only witness? What would you do if your sister had been raped but the boy charged pleads not guilty? These are the problems faced by Ellie and Mike. Neither one knows what to do, but when they meet, their two worlds collide with unpredictable consequences.
The subject matter of this book is one that can’t be taken or written about lightly and I was left feeling satisfied with the way Jenny treated the subject and the sensitivity that she demonstrated. Whilst rape was a serious theme that ran throughout the book, the main story was of two teenagers meeting in unlikely circumstances and trying to navigate a treacherous path to a future they wanted to spend together. It was a coming of age story set against a bleak backdrop that made the two teenagers and their relationship seem like a shining beacon.
The characters were well created and Mikey and Ellie developed beautifully as the story progressed. The secondary characters also went on some remarkable journeys and I found my opinions changing about certain characters as the book continued. There were a few characters who I found intolerable for the entirety but I feel they were perhaps supposed to come across in a negative light.
Jenny’s writing was sublime and I found myself hooked very quickly. My only issue is that I would have loved the book to have been longer and follow the characters so we could see what the verdict of the trial would have been. There were a few little places where the book lacked pace but this didn’t seem to affect the book at all because the rest of the novel moved at such a fast pace, it was nice to have some slow paced sections.
I gave this book four stars because I didn’t fall in love with it as much as I was hoping to but I got a lot from it and even though this is classed as YA fiction, I think any age group will be able to pick up this book and take a lot from it.
A worthwhile read about love, in all of its forms.
Laura