15 Days Without a Head
Dave Cousins
YA Contemporary
Summary: Fifteen-year-old Laurence Roach just wants a
normal life, but it’s far from easy with his little brother who acts like a dog
and their depressed alcoholic mother. If Laurence can win the luxury vacation
in a local radio contest, he’s certain his mum will finally be happy again.
Then one night she doesn’t come home from work, and Laurence must face the
reality that she might not come back at all.
Terrified that child services will separate him
from his brother, Laurence does whatever he can to keep their mother’s
disappearance a secret. For two weeks, he spins a web of complicated lies to
friends, neighbors, and the authorities—even dressing up in his mother’s
clothes to convince everyone she’s still around. But Laurence can’t hide the
truth forever. He begins a desperate search for her, and that’s when the real
trouble starts in this powerful story about family, forgiveness, and hope.
My Take: Laurence
isn’t your typical 15-year-old. He lives in a run-down, small apartment
infested with roaches, a brother who thinks he’s a dog at times, and an alcoholic
mother. But that changes when Laurence wakes up one morning to find that his
mom didn’t return home from work the night before.
Determined not to let outsiders know what’s
going on, and telling himself and his little brother that, “Mom will come back
soon”, Laurence lives the most dangerous 15 days he’s ever known. No money,
running out of food, and a nosey neighbor that would turn them into social
workers are the stakes he’s playing against. But he’s convinced he has a couple
of advantages. One being the late night radio contest he’s been sneaking out to
enter. If he wins, he wins a family trip to any vacation spot they want. He
knows this win will bring his mom back from her drunken stupor and make them a
family again. At least, he hopes it will. At the very least, it will put her in
a good mood. The second ace in his hand is a girl from school, who keeps his
secret and helps keep him and his brother alive.
Although a gloomy and serious story, Cousins
manages to fill the pages with bits of humor and lightness that equal out the
trials Laurence is experiencing. A touching story about sticking together as a
family, forgiveness, and learning to trust again, 15 Days Without a Head is a
great read.
Rating: I’d
give this a solid 4/5 and rate the content as PG for some mild language and
drinking.
Happy reading, my friends!
--Me
Sounds interesting. Oh...I see you are reading World War Z. If this is in anticipation of the movie, you've just ruined the movie for yourself because the movie has nothing at all to do with the book. My prediction: The book shall blow you away. The movie will leave you cursing at the screen.
ReplyDeleteJust sayin'...
I'm reading it in prep for the movie, but also because my friend said it rocked. And so far, it does. I can already see from the previews that the movie will be NOTHING like the book, which is too bad. Depending on my final feelings on the book, I probably won't go and see the movie. Don't want to ruin the warm and fuzzies. :)
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