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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bad Influence, Good Read, 27 Aug 2004
This is the first William Sutcliffe book I have read and what drew me to it was the front cover or, more specifically, the expression on the boy's face pictured on the cover: young, but not at all innocent, chilling even. And indeed Bad Influence is a truly chilling book, though initially it begins in a very humourous vein and I honestly can't remember having laughed out loud so much while reading a book.
Sutcliffe introduces us to Ben, the main character. Ben is ten and Sutcliffe's portrayal of Ben's life, emotions and actions are amazingly accurate. The humour in this book comes from the fact that we can all identify with Ben and what is was like to be ten and think the thoughts of a ten year old. One example being where Ben describes his best friend being taken away as like someone "confiscating your legs", followed by the admission "It's not really like that. If someone pulled off your legs, you'd bleed to death." Many of the initial anecdotes ring so true; many of them, particulary regarding Ben's siblings, actually happened to me!But Sutcliffe doesn't only capture the funny side of being ten, he also portrays a realistic picture of the chilling side too. I doubt any reader will fail to identify with the peer pressure Sutcliffe so honestly and brutally subjects his main character to. The need to fit in, the need to be the best friend, the jealousy, the pride, the pain of rejection, the lengths children will go to to be accepted. Bad Influence has it all, and while the majority of readers won't have gone to the extremes of the main characters in this book, I believe that every reader will have experienced each and every emotion within Bad Influence. This is a powerful book, delightful, humourous, touching, brutal and ultimately shocking. Never before have I felt that a writer has so accurately stepped into the shoes of a child's mind and heart. Buy this book - you won't regret it.
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by William Sutcliffe
by William Sutcliffe
by William Sutcliffe
by William Sutcliffe
by Mark Poirier
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