A review by nicky_bsn
Being Billy by Phil Earle
5.0
Let's say 4.5 stars, because some parts were a bit Mwaaah. But overall this book was pretty good. Completely different from the things I usually read, but still interesting.
We follow Billy Finn, a 14 year old boy who has been in care for the past 8 years. He ended up being a 'lifer' after his stephdad beat him up and his mother was drowned in booze. Together with the twins he has lived and ruled over their new home. But Billy has one problem: he's angry. Not just one-moment-angry, but lifetime angry. He picks a fight with everybody, he vandalizes cars and he doesn't know what to do with it all. Then he meets Daisy, a mysterious girl who he thinks might be a lifer too, but she isn't very willing to share. Meanwhile progress is made in the bringing home of the twins. When things are finally going well with Billy: he accepts the twins fade, he feels safe around Daisy and he starts to like the Colonel, everything goes haywire after visiting his former foster family. They have a new foster child, a very familiar girl and after rampaging through the house he flees in their car and ends up at his old place, because Shaun, his stephdad, is back.
I read this book in English, and it's going to be published in Dutch in the fall. And I was asked to read this and give one quote that summarized all my feelings of this book. And that particular quote might be used on commercial material or the back of the Dutch book itself. I didn't really need to think about what I should write for the review, but I honestly have no idea what to write as one simply one sentenced quote, because it's impossible to tell my feelings about this book in a one sentence quote. I think I should just wait some hours, maybe even a day and see what I can come up with tomorrow.
We follow Billy Finn, a 14 year old boy who has been in care for the past 8 years. He ended up being a 'lifer' after his stephdad beat him up and his mother was drowned in booze. Together with the twins he has lived and ruled over their new home. But Billy has one problem: he's angry. Not just one-moment-angry, but lifetime angry. He picks a fight with everybody, he vandalizes cars and he doesn't know what to do with it all. Then he meets Daisy, a mysterious girl who he thinks might be a lifer too, but she isn't very willing to share. Meanwhile progress is made in the bringing home of the twins. When things are finally going well with Billy: he accepts the twins fade, he feels safe around Daisy and he starts to like the Colonel, everything goes haywire after visiting his former foster family. They have a new foster child, a very familiar girl and after rampaging through the house he flees in their car and ends up at his old place, because Shaun, his stephdad, is back.
I read this book in English, and it's going to be published in Dutch in the fall. And I was asked to read this and give one quote that summarized all my feelings of this book. And that particular quote might be used on commercial material or the back of the Dutch book itself. I didn't really need to think about what I should write for the review, but I honestly have no idea what to write as one simply one sentenced quote, because it's impossible to tell my feelings about this book in a one sentence quote. I think I should just wait some hours, maybe even a day and see what I can come up with tomorrow.