Hold on

This is another book dealing with the problem of bullying in schools. As a one-time victim of (low-key) bullying I can identify with that, as I'm sure a lot of other readers can. My experience is that readers tend to get bullied a lot more than non-readers. Hold On deals with hard-core bullying - the sort that leads to the suicide of the victim. As such, it is a very powerful statement about a serious and perennial problem. But it is a lot more than that. What impressed me most was the complexity of the story. Single-issue novels tend to be very simplistic, especially when dealing with heavy themes, and most particularly when aimed at a young audience. But Hold On only starts simply; then it starts to get a lot more complex. In the end, justice is served, as the bullies get at least some of what they deserve for driving a boy to suicide - but the one boy who left the gang and tried to undo some of the harm he has done gets dragged along with them. Is this just? Nor are the bullies entirely to blame: the victim too is at fault - as are his family, and even the one friend who has stood by him. However, the quality of the writing is such that the main issue does not get lost in the complexity. As a result, this is not just a book with a message, but a very real human story with messages for a lot of people, including writers who try to make their point so strongly that they risk smudging the truth.