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The Knife That Killed Me (Definitions)
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Review
Every writer hates to hear the words "stunning new talent" applied to someone else, but in the case of Anthony McGowan nothing else will do --Meg Rosoff
Review
The story of how Paul, the narrator, is dragged into using a knife by Roth, a bullying teenager he fears and hates, is gripping, but what makes you sit up is that its author, Anthony McGowan, is one of the most talented new writers around
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When Paul stands up to school bully Roth, Roth encourages him to join his gang, giving him a knife as a sweetener to the deal. At the same time, Paul becomes friendly with the school freaks - geeks, goths and nerds, led by the charismatic Shane - and is attracted to Maddy, a bright girl in the group who seems to like him. Torn between the violent Roth and too-cool Shane, Paul also finds himself sucked into the rivalry between Roth and Goddo, gang leader at a rival school, which eventually erupts in violence and his own death.
Paul's characterisation is excellent and it's easy to see how he ended up in a situation he didn't want to be in. Weak-willed, lost and lonely, he's looking for somewhere to belong and the intimidating Roth's offer of friendship would give him an identity within the school. Shane however offers him a chance to be valued for himself and the confidence that this gives Paul seems to give him some much needed hope.
McGowan teases out the tension - although you think you know how this is going to end, it doesn't detract from Paul's story - and there's a heart-breaking moment mid-way through the book involving Paul's plan for a date with Maddy, which could easily descend into cliche, but for Paul's voice which keeps you rooting for him all the way.
However I wasn't convinced by Shane who's a little too good to be true (contrast with Roth who, while completely vile, is always credible). McGowan tries to offset this by giving Paul a rival for Shane's attention in the sly Kirk, who's constantly trying to do him down but I still didn't quite feel that I knew who Shane was except for how other characters saw him.
Although the ending doesn't pull its punches, it still feels a little rushed and more could have been made of the consequences. There were also times when stylistically it was too reminiscent of the excellent HENRY TUMOUR - partly because I think it's set in the same school, but also because of the way some of Paul's thoughts are set out (not helped by a scene where he talks about having a brain tumour).
That said, this it's a tense, chilling book that makes you think about why teens carry knives and the consequences of doing so without being preachy.
Paul's characterisation is excellent and it's easy to see how he ended up in a situation he didn't want to be in. Weak-willed, lost and lonely, he's looking for somewhere to belong and the intimidating Roth's offer of friendship would give him an identity within the school. Shane however offers him a chance to be valued for himself and the confidence that this gives Paul seems to give him some much needed hope.
McGowan teases out the tension - although you think you know how this is going to end, it doesn't detract from Paul's story - and there's a heart-breaking moment mid-way through the book involving Paul's plan for a date with Maddy, which could easily descend into cliche, but for Paul's voice which keeps you rooting for him all the way.
However I wasn't convinced by Shane who's a little too good to be true (contrast with Roth who, while completely vile, is always credible). McGowan tries to offset this by giving Paul a rival for Shane's attention in the sly Kirk, who's constantly trying to do him down but I still didn't quite feel that I knew who Shane was except for how other characters saw him.
Although the ending doesn't pull its punches, it still feels a little rushed and more could have been made of the consequences. There were also times when stylistically it was too reminiscent of the excellent HENRY TUMOUR - partly because I think it's set in the same school, but also because of the way some of Paul's thoughts are set out (not helped by a scene where he talks about having a brain tumour).
That said, this it's a tense, chilling book that makes you think about why teens carry knives and the consequences of doing so without being preachy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
According to KnifeCrimes.Org, a charity, supported by a.o. the UK Home Office, "A knife incident happens every 25 minutes - 4 in 5 offenders aged between 12 years - 20 years and a third of victims aged between 10 years - 17 years." With more and more children and teenagers carrying a knife when going to school, Anthony McGowan's third novel seems to be a sign of the times, a warning as well as a message. Almost completely devoid of all of the humor and wit that was characteristic of Henry Tumour, The Knife that Killed Me, nevertheless feels as poignant.
The central storyline is that of Paul Varderman, who could be your average teenager, trying to stay under the radar at school so as not to be picked upon, bullied... or worse, by the school baddie, Roth. He fails miserably. Paul both hates and admires Roth and gets sucked in by his scare tactics: "Roth was someone I hated, should have hated, more than any other person. Hated because he was a bad kid, cruel and vindictive. The kind of kid who would beat another to a pulp and then piss n his face. The kind of kid who would get his thicko mates to throw chewing gum in my hair to help pass the time in a boring geography lesson. But all he had to do was say those simple words [that Paul was thinking and using his brain] to me, and I was happy." (p.43) When Paul is given a knife by Roth, the already menacing story takes on an even more urgent tone, urgent in an almost fatalistic way. There are only a few outcomes to this story, but none of them can ever be happy.
What is probably even more remarkable than the portrayal of Paul, Roth or any of the other school kids (what could have been plain stereotypical characterization is actually quite balanced) is the bleak atmosphere that McGowan sketches, a bleakness that not only characterizes certain inner city schools, like the one Paul attends, but also Paul's entire living circumstances (his home life is not ideal, for instance), and with Paul the living circumstances of an entire generation. This is where The Knife that Killed Me differs completely from Henry Tumour. Henry Tumour had humor - even though it was often of the sarcastic kind - as a redeeming factor in Hector Brundy's nerdy life, but almost none of that is present in The Knife that Killed Me. Instead you get an almost naturalistic portrayal of the evil that kids can do, what they will do, led by circumstance and opportunity. In this way The Knife that Killed Me is strongly reminiscent of Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War. The tension is raised high by Paul's story, and the cat doesn't feel the knife-interludes throughout the novel were necessary to show the menace of the knife. The power of fear was made abundantly clear already, and in fact, the cat felt detracted by those interludes.
With The Knife that Killed Me Anthony McGowan has managed to show what peer pressure, less than ideal circumstances and adolescence can lead to in its most extreme form. Like the knife itself, he does this with razor-sharp prose, and never sugarcoats. Though the outcome of this story is inevitable as well as tragic and could (should) be read as a warning about knife crime, McGowan does so in a way that never sounds moralizing or patronizing. Spot on.
The central storyline is that of Paul Varderman, who could be your average teenager, trying to stay under the radar at school so as not to be picked upon, bullied... or worse, by the school baddie, Roth. He fails miserably. Paul both hates and admires Roth and gets sucked in by his scare tactics: "Roth was someone I hated, should have hated, more than any other person. Hated because he was a bad kid, cruel and vindictive. The kind of kid who would beat another to a pulp and then piss n his face. The kind of kid who would get his thicko mates to throw chewing gum in my hair to help pass the time in a boring geography lesson. But all he had to do was say those simple words [that Paul was thinking and using his brain] to me, and I was happy." (p.43) When Paul is given a knife by Roth, the already menacing story takes on an even more urgent tone, urgent in an almost fatalistic way. There are only a few outcomes to this story, but none of them can ever be happy.
What is probably even more remarkable than the portrayal of Paul, Roth or any of the other school kids (what could have been plain stereotypical characterization is actually quite balanced) is the bleak atmosphere that McGowan sketches, a bleakness that not only characterizes certain inner city schools, like the one Paul attends, but also Paul's entire living circumstances (his home life is not ideal, for instance), and with Paul the living circumstances of an entire generation. This is where The Knife that Killed Me differs completely from Henry Tumour. Henry Tumour had humor - even though it was often of the sarcastic kind - as a redeeming factor in Hector Brundy's nerdy life, but almost none of that is present in The Knife that Killed Me. Instead you get an almost naturalistic portrayal of the evil that kids can do, what they will do, led by circumstance and opportunity. In this way The Knife that Killed Me is strongly reminiscent of Robert Cormier's The Chocolate War. The tension is raised high by Paul's story, and the cat doesn't feel the knife-interludes throughout the novel were necessary to show the menace of the knife. The power of fear was made abundantly clear already, and in fact, the cat felt detracted by those interludes.
With The Knife that Killed Me Anthony McGowan has managed to show what peer pressure, less than ideal circumstances and adolescence can lead to in its most extreme form. Like the knife itself, he does this with razor-sharp prose, and never sugarcoats. Though the outcome of this story is inevitable as well as tragic and could (should) be read as a warning about knife crime, McGowan does so in a way that never sounds moralizing or patronizing. Spot on.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio Download
I'm the author, so I don't want to talk about the book, but rather the audio version, read by Will Thorp and published by BBC audiobooks. It's completely amazing. He injects energy and tension even into the flatter passages in the narrative, and the more tense and exciting parts crackle with electricity. The accent is exactly right - the flat, rather tight-lipped accent of Leeds. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and this is one of the best I've heard.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A well written and constructed book
This is from my 13 year old son:
When Paul stands up to school bully Roth, Roth asks him to join his gang. Read more
When Paul stands up to school bully Roth, Roth asks him to join his gang. Read more
Published 28 days ago by Matthew Parker
Gripping and thought-provoking thriller
The Knife That Killed Me is a gripping page turner with intriguing and dynamic characters, thought-provoking story and a chilling theme. Read more
Published 1 month ago by H. Abe
An unsettlingly great read that gets right under your skin
An utterly compelling book with well-drawn characters who leap off the page and into your imagination. Read more
Published on 30 Jan 2010 by Teen fictionista
Compellingly topical read
Anthony McGowan has penned an absorbing and chilling novel which is both a warning against the menace that knives are in today's teenage culture, and a study of alienation and... Read more
Published on 20 Sep 2009 by Captain Pugwash
Gripping thriller by the writer of Henry Tumour
This book is an easier read than Anthony McGowan's previous books, Hellbent and Henry Tumour, but it is nevertheless challenging to any teenager's moral code. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2008 by lilysmum
one of the best teen books of the year
This is so far the only book that my 12 year old son, a relatively reluctant reader, chose to read during the day instead of playing on the computer. Read more
Published on 29 April 2008 by A. Craig
Chilling, riveting novel by teen master
The Knife That Killed me has possibly the best first chapter of any book I've ever read. And it takes off from there -- an elegant controlled story about teen angst, outsiders,... Read more
Published on 19 April 2008 by JDS
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