So, I thought I'd start a new segment on the blog called 'The Book Review' where I review something I've read every month (I know, my titling skills are amazing.)
This month I'm reading from the Carnegie shortlist, 8 books which have been selected to compete for the Carnegie Medal. I attend a book club where we discuss these books *nerd alert!* and Kevin Brooks' 'The Bunker Diary' seemed a big hit amongst the other girls in the club, so I picked it up and finished it within a few days.
So the basic plotline is that a boy is kidnapped by a mystery man and wakes up in an underground bunker. There are six bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen and communal space. Other people of all ages begin to arrive and the discover that all the rooms are bugged with cameras. Their captor is listening in, and they must either escape or die. From what I've heard about Kevin Brooks' other work, it all seems very similar in the way that the dark themes occur frequently and the story is kept quite easy to understand and flows quickly.
The beginning drew me in and I read very quickly, and was shocked when it finished as it had been so short. I felt like the whole storyline was building up to something that didn't happen, and was disappointed by the ending. Oh, the ending! Such a 'blah' feeling. I did not like it one bit; maybe it was not what I was expecting, but it didn't wow me and there was so much more that could've been done.
If I were Kevin Brooks, I would write a sort-of sequel to this book, from the point of view of a police officer investigating the case. Then we could find out a bit more about the captor and their location etc.
Overall, I would give this book 7 and a half out of 10 as the book was well written and kept me hooked, but the ending really ruined it. Read it if you like mystery and a bit of a thriller, but not if you like a good romance as I do.
Any recommendations?
Love, E X
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