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Hello Darkness Paperback – 5 Sep 2013

by
Anthony McGowan (Author)
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Anthony McGowan (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 11 customer reviews
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Product details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Walker Books (5 Sept. 2013)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1406337846
  • ISBN-13: 978-1406337846
  • Product Dimensions: 12.9 x 1.9 x 19.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 427,051 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

A gripping, original and stylish novel -- Amanda Craig The Times Whereas wannabe noir fiction often mistakes bleakness for darkness, McGowan has empathy for his troubled protagonist. If a disturbing read can be fun, if laugh-out-loud can have heart and soul, McGowan's got it nailed -- Keith Gray Scotsman Magazine McGowan's high school noir is fresh, fast and seriously good fun Booktrust A masterfully clever story with a tongue-in-cheek sense of wit Sister Spooky McGowan achieves some gorgeously, glitteringly mad writing. -- Philip Womack Literary Review An original, unsettling noir thriller. -- Amanda Craig New Statesman A subtle, shifting and surprising story that avoids easy definition and is memorable...weirdly wonderful Books For Keeps Hello Darkness is a darkly comic and original mystery novel for young adults filled with Raymond Chandleresque noir dialogue -- Martin Chiltern Telegraph Top 10 YA books of 2013 Hello Darkness is a darkly comic and original mystery novel for young adults filled with Raymond Chandleresque noir dialogue -- Martin Chiltern Telegraph Top 10 YA books of 2013

Book Description

A black comedy and high-school noir from a critically acclaimed writer

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsA rare five stars
By Julia Phillips on 23 Sept. 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
It is very rare for me to give five stars. I give four stars to books I consider to be excellent so to get five a book has to have something beyond being a well-written story.

"Hello Darkness" scored in every area. It is extremely well-written but beyond that, the plot is imaginative and leads the reader along a strange, twisted path. Characters are strangely ambivalent, reflecting back a particular aspect depending on how, where and when they are viewed. There is ambiguity around the presence of some characters; if a book could be said to be haunted, this one has ghosts. I read the book almost in one sitting and will re-read it in a few weeks as I am certain that some parts of it are waiting in the wings for their moment to shine a light on a different interpretation of events. This is the first book I have read by this author and it will not be the last.
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4.0 out of 5 starsGripping
By Cowbridge School Library on 29 Nov. 2013
Format: Paperback
Review by Jack (Year 7)

Hello Darkness revolves around a fourteen year old boy, Johnny, in a comprehensive school where everything goes wrong. The headmaster is mad, elderly and frail, factors which allow the deputy Headmaster to take control. However, the Deputy Head is a cruel, vicious dictator. Soon Johnny finds himself caught in the middle of a three-way gang war - the Deputy together with his bullying Prefects, the Drama Queens and the Fat, Bun-Running Lardies form the gangs.

Johnny becomes the prime suspect in the death of the school pets, avoiding suspension he promises to supply the Deputy Head with the name of the correct person within the week. Johnny then tries to coerce information by any means possible for the rest of the week.

References to Johnny's mental health and need for medication add an extra dimension to the plot. With his parents away, Johnny forgets to take his medication resulting in the blurring of fact and fiction. Paving the way for a fantastic and unimaginable finale.

Following a slow start the book moves forward at an accelerating pace providing not only a gripping thriller but much food for thought on the aspects of society and the stereotypes encounter in daily life.
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5.0 out of 5 starsMcGowan at his best!
By Amazon CustomerFrancesca nield on 18 Sept. 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
Another dark, deep, fantastical, honest and credible novel by Anthony McGowan. He builds upon layers of reality, psychological disturbance and adolescent behaviours to keep the reader's head spinning between what they think is the truth and what could be mental illness. I would recommend this as a book for Young Adults of ALL ages.
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5.0 out of 5 starsBRICK meets CHINATOWN and BUGSY MALONE with a hint of NAKED LUNCH and a sense of humour. For teens.
By I Read, Therefore I Blog VINE VOICE on 23 Mar. 2014
Format: Paperback
Johnny Middleton had an incident several months ago. Everyone in school knows about it. He's okay now - so long as he takes his pills - but most people leave him alone. So when someone starts killing the school pets, Johnny's the number one suspect. He's got 4 days to find the culprit or the deputy headmaster will cancel the school production of The Wizard of Oz (guaranteeing that the Drama Queens will make him wish he was dead). But someone's setting up Johnny as the patsy and as more animals are brutally killed, he finds allies are short on the ground. If it wasn't for a talking cat, he'd be completely alone ...

Anthony McGowan's unique YA novel is like BRICK meets CHINATOWN and BUGSY MALONE with a hint of NAKED LUNCH and a sense of humour. It's a funny, distinctive noir with an unreliable narrator and a bizarre take on the different school factions and comes complete the obligatory femme fatale. The only thing is I can't decide is whether I loved or hated the ending. On one level, it's completely in keeping with the rest of the novel, yet at the same time it's completely infuriating. Don't let that put you off though because this is an utterly distinctive, engaging book that's unlike anything else on the YA bookshelves. For that reason alone, it's well worth a couple of hours of your time.

Johnny is a unique character. I loved the smart, knowing noir voice that McGowan gives him and the way he easily drops the reader into the slightly bizarre set up of his school with its internal politics and inter-gang warfare. At the same time, the reader recognises Johnny's emotional vulnerability, even if he doesn't. Left alone by his parents, he has no real friends to help him through this.Read more ›
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3.0 out of 5 starsGreat character voice
By ickle Josie on 17 Feb. 2015
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
The way in which the main character Johnny is brought to life by the author is the loveliest part of this book but I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. The plot rolls along nicely enough with beautifully scripted scenes which resemble a film noir detective story at times. The only problem was the confusion. Whilst I get this is a nod to the characters mental state and leaves the reader knowing only what he knows it still left me feeling a little unfulfilled. I felt like I wanted more back story into Johnny and his breakdown to help me connect the dots. That said it was a unique and interesting read I just felt like I needed a bit more closure from it .
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5.0 out of 5 starsA book to devour - READ IT NOW
By Lindsey Mountford on 30 Sept. 2013
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
'Hello Darkness' is a gripping, exciting, twisty-turny, fearsomely dark and hilarious crime thriller set in a school, and I'll be recommending it to everyone I know who loves reading crime, or who has ever been to school... or who can read... everyone, in fact.

We delve deep into the psyche of John, the wisecracking loner student with a dark past, and his descent into the criminal underworld of the school and all its gangs and cliques, war zones, alliances and mysteries as he tries to solve the crimes. The school is a microcosm of the adult world, with hot dames, dodgy teachers, hoods, bosses, and crammed with politics, drama, tragedy and romance. As he's sucked in deeper to the mystery, we're dragged along for the ride in his (possibly) crazed mental state, where reality is heightened and everything is connected.

Initially I wasn't overjoyed with the premise of school pets getting slaughtered - despite the fact I read a lot of crime, I hate it when animals get hurt. But McGowan didn't stick in gross gratuitous violence, and actually there was far more warmth and affection for animals that revealed itself in beautiful passages like this:

"She stuck her claws into me with delicate spite as she climbed up onto my lap. She licked her paws and cleaned her face and then melted warmly into me."

My Kindle edition is littered with highlights like this, there were so many sentences and whole pages that were incredibly fresh and beautifully written.

God, I loved this book.
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