Mice
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Review
'A thrilling story which is all the better for the flawed nature of the heroines.' --The Bookseller
'A gripping, flawless novel that's as surprising as it is satisfying. It's one of those archetypal books you read and think, `Of course this story had to be written.' I found it memorable, atmospheric and chilling' --Sophie Hannah, author of 'The Wrong Mother' and 'The Dead Lie Down'
'This gripping young adult novel could be a classic. Fifteen-year-old Shelly and her newly divorced mother have escaped to the countryside to avoid the bullies who made Shelly's school life a misery. They regard themselves as "mice" who must hide away, and it's obvious they're addicted to being timid, ineffectual victims. But that changes when an intruder stumbles into their remote cottage one night and something within Shelly snaps... The pregnant simplicity of Reece's writing is so strong that it's a while before we suspect there may be more going on in Shelly's head than she's telling us. Reece toys expertly with complex themes, notably the dangers of being nostalgic for a past that never existed, and the result is a sophisticated psychological thriller.' --Guardian
'Being 16 can be a painful experience. Particularly if you are an oversensitive girl, an experience strikingly captured in Gordon Reece's debut novel, which already has readers marvelling at the skill with which this male author has travelled into the mind of his youthful heroine and her equally vulnerable mother . . . There are few readers who will not be involved by the steady, adroitly orchestrated tension in this visceral first novel... a truly remarkable debut. Mice is a book many will without question be talking about.' --Daily Express
'Suspenseful . . . a genuine pageturner with an intriguingly flawed and complex pair of heroines' --Metro
'A thrilling story which is all the better for the flawed nature of the heroines' --Booksellers' Choice, The Bookseller
'A slow-burner whose tension builds and builds' --Daily Mail
`A simple, perfect solitaire diamond of a thriller... This unforgettable, narrowly-focused story suggests that sub-plots are for wimps as it hurtles towards a satisfyingly shocking conclusion.'
--Sunday Express
'A gripping, flawless novel that's as surprising as it is satisfying. It's one of those archetypal books you read and think, `Of course this story had to be written.' I found it memorable, atmospheric and chilling' --Sophie Hannah, author of 'The Wrong Mother' and 'The Dead Lie Down'
'This gripping young adult novel could be a classic. Fifteen-year-old Shelly and her newly divorced mother have escaped to the countryside to avoid the bullies who made Shelly's school life a misery. They regard themselves as "mice" who must hide away, and it's obvious they're addicted to being timid, ineffectual victims. But that changes when an intruder stumbles into their remote cottage one night and something within Shelly snaps... The pregnant simplicity of Reece's writing is so strong that it's a while before we suspect there may be more going on in Shelly's head than she's telling us. Reece toys expertly with complex themes, notably the dangers of being nostalgic for a past that never existed, and the result is a sophisticated psychological thriller.' --Guardian
'Being 16 can be a painful experience. Particularly if you are an oversensitive girl, an experience strikingly captured in Gordon Reece's debut novel, which already has readers marvelling at the skill with which this male author has travelled into the mind of his youthful heroine and her equally vulnerable mother . . . There are few readers who will not be involved by the steady, adroitly orchestrated tension in this visceral first novel... a truly remarkable debut. Mice is a book many will without question be talking about.' --Daily Express
'Suspenseful . . . a genuine pageturner with an intriguingly flawed and complex pair of heroines' --Metro
'A thrilling story which is all the better for the flawed nature of the heroines' --Booksellers' Choice, The Bookseller
'A slow-burner whose tension builds and builds' --Daily Mail
`A simple, perfect solitaire diamond of a thriller... This unforgettable, narrowly-focused story suggests that sub-plots are for wimps as it hurtles towards a satisfyingly shocking conclusion.'
--Sunday Express
Product Description
A gripping, unique suspense thriller with a chilling twist . . .
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Mice - despite its title is not a book to be taken lightly. From its brooding cover to the dark scenario into which Australian based writer/illustrator Gordon Reece plunges his central characters, this is a chilling tale of hiding, of murder, and of fear of discovery.
A new author to me and likely to many on these shores, Reece was born in the UK and has had 15 books for children and young adults published in Australia and in Spain, where he lived for six years.
So, I'm guessing, from that CV, that Mice is something of a serious gear-change for Reece and, if that's the case, it's a masterstroke.
Written from the perspective of a sixteen year old bullied schoolgirl, Shelley Rivers, everything about Mice is damaged and fractured, including the very title on the cover page itself. Shelley is forced into being home-schooled following a horrendous barrage of mental and physical abuse from old school-friends, leaving her scarred emotionally and physically when, in a final attack, she is left burned by them.
Her mother, Elizabeth, has also been bullied her whole life, in her failed marriage and in her work.
It's the thing that bonds them, they are timid, non-confrontational; they are, in their own words, Mice.
They are `Nati ad arum'; born with the victim gene.
And, as mice, they choose to run away, to run to the woods, to buy a small cottage and to hide there. They build a new life for themselves, a life of peace, quiet, music and books.
And, for a while, they are left alone, they are safe. But only for a while.
Their peace is shattered by the sound of a footstep on the staircase late one night. Someone is in their house, meaning to rob them, but maybe meaning to hurt them, to kill them.
It's time for the mice to make a decision - and it's one that will mean that they can never be mice again.
Not wishing to give too much away here, I would say that the fact that the blurb indicates that if you liked the movie `Shallow Grave' then this is for you, is a fine indicator of the tone and twists that follow and the darkness that the central characters have to face and make their decisions within.
British readers may recall the questions raised in the aftermath of the real life events of Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who shot a burglar as he left his property. At what point does the victim become the assailant, or worse?
The daughter/mother relationship works very well and I was reminded at times of the David Fincher movie `Panic Room' too, where the decisive role switches from mother to daughter at moments of the darkest judgements.
A novel about overcoming our fears and facing up to them, and it raises big questions about just how much we should stand our ground, how much we should fight back, and at what risks we may take when the red mist descends upon us in times of personal attack.
Thought provoking and reading like something that could easily have been torn from the front page of a newspaper - this is great fiction and I shall certainly look out for Graham Reece's next one.
Keith B Walters
A new author to me and likely to many on these shores, Reece was born in the UK and has had 15 books for children and young adults published in Australia and in Spain, where he lived for six years.
So, I'm guessing, from that CV, that Mice is something of a serious gear-change for Reece and, if that's the case, it's a masterstroke.
Written from the perspective of a sixteen year old bullied schoolgirl, Shelley Rivers, everything about Mice is damaged and fractured, including the very title on the cover page itself. Shelley is forced into being home-schooled following a horrendous barrage of mental and physical abuse from old school-friends, leaving her scarred emotionally and physically when, in a final attack, she is left burned by them.
Her mother, Elizabeth, has also been bullied her whole life, in her failed marriage and in her work.
It's the thing that bonds them, they are timid, non-confrontational; they are, in their own words, Mice.
They are `Nati ad arum'; born with the victim gene.
And, as mice, they choose to run away, to run to the woods, to buy a small cottage and to hide there. They build a new life for themselves, a life of peace, quiet, music and books.
And, for a while, they are left alone, they are safe. But only for a while.
Their peace is shattered by the sound of a footstep on the staircase late one night. Someone is in their house, meaning to rob them, but maybe meaning to hurt them, to kill them.
It's time for the mice to make a decision - and it's one that will mean that they can never be mice again.
Not wishing to give too much away here, I would say that the fact that the blurb indicates that if you liked the movie `Shallow Grave' then this is for you, is a fine indicator of the tone and twists that follow and the darkness that the central characters have to face and make their decisions within.
British readers may recall the questions raised in the aftermath of the real life events of Tony Martin, the Norfolk farmer who shot a burglar as he left his property. At what point does the victim become the assailant, or worse?
The daughter/mother relationship works very well and I was reminded at times of the David Fincher movie `Panic Room' too, where the decisive role switches from mother to daughter at moments of the darkest judgements.
A novel about overcoming our fears and facing up to them, and it raises big questions about just how much we should stand our ground, how much we should fight back, and at what risks we may take when the red mist descends upon us in times of personal attack.
Thought provoking and reading like something that could easily have been torn from the front page of a newspaper - this is great fiction and I shall certainly look out for Graham Reece's next one.
Keith B Walters
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Gordon Reece has had several books published for children and young adults in Austrailia and Spain. 'Mice' has been published in about 12 countries, and I hope this is the start of good things to come in the UK, from this author.
Violence is a big theme in this novel and it would be suitable for a mature young adult to read, and in my opinion is an ideal crossover, so adults will enjoy it too.
Written simply with a cold edge to the writing style, the plot follows Shelley, and her mother, and the chilling events that escalate out of control after a break-in at their cottage in the countryside.
The title 'Mice' refers to the characters of Shelley and her mother, who are timid and nervous characters and just want to hide away from their tormentors.
I had doubts towards the end of the novel and wondered if the plot was going a little over the top, but I wasn't disappointed and the suspense was spot on. A great read and one I would recommend.
Violence is a big theme in this novel and it would be suitable for a mature young adult to read, and in my opinion is an ideal crossover, so adults will enjoy it too.
Written simply with a cold edge to the writing style, the plot follows Shelley, and her mother, and the chilling events that escalate out of control after a break-in at their cottage in the countryside.
The title 'Mice' refers to the characters of Shelley and her mother, who are timid and nervous characters and just want to hide away from their tormentors.
I had doubts towards the end of the novel and wondered if the plot was going a little over the top, but I wasn't disappointed and the suspense was spot on. A great read and one I would recommend.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this book by Gordon Reece. It was well written and made you care about what happened to Shelley and her mum. Towards the end the story was a bit implausable but, it didn't spoil my enjoyment. The story was taut and suspenseful and was difficult to put down, I was up till 3am as I wanted to find out how it ended.
I won't give any details of the story otherwise I may spoil it for others readers. It was a very entertaining read.
I won't give any details of the story otherwise I may spoil it for others readers. It was a very entertaining read.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Deliciously Dark and Disturbing
Sixteen year old Shelley and her mum have been born with the victim gene - Shelley has been on the receiving end of an intensive, malevolent bullying campaign by former girlfriends... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Lovely Treez
Excellent!
I thoroughly enjoyed "Mice", and would rate it as one of the best books I have read for some time.
Shelley and her mother are "mice" - two timid women who seem to be... Read more
Shelley and her mother are "mice" - two timid women who seem to be... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Lois Yorke
Courtesy of [...]
I finally feel as though I can stop holding my breath now that I've finished reading Gordon Reece's debut novel, Mice. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Stepping Out of the Page
Disturbing
I read this book in one go within 2 days as I've nothing much to do since finishing my college course. Read more
Published 11 months ago by R. Hill
gripping read
Very much enjoyed this book. Story line was good and there wasn't to many lulls to slow it down. Would recommend it.
Published 13 months ago by fly243
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