Saturday, June 15, 2013

The bunker diary by Kevin Brooks

Linus was only trying to help the blind man out, but by the time he figured out something was wrong it was too late.  When he woke up in the bunker he thought it was a bad dream, but it quickly turned into a nightmare.  In the bunker there are six little rooms, six plates, six cups and Linus has a bad feeling about that, a bad feeling that is confirmed when the first of the other five "guests" arrive in the bunker.  Over time the bunker slowly fills up, and over time Linus fills the pages of his diary with the day-to-day life of the bunker and the people trapped inside.

I knew when I picked this book up that it would not be an easy read, not when the name of the book and the first few pages confirmed that it is a very personal story about a teenage boy trapped in a bunker by a person who has complete control of his life - and the life of the other people in the bunker.  This is an intense and emotional read, and is definitely best left to mature teens who have the ability to process what is happening as well as understand what they are reading - the content could take a lot of explaining to younger teens and may bring up more questions that could be difficult to answer.

Without spoiling the story, and without giving too much away, this is an intense read right from the start, and with the little incidents that happen it quickly becomes both absorbing and disturbing.  Linus is remarkably mature and astute, but the fact he has been living on the streets leading up the abduction may have something to do with that.  The rest of the characters are well constructed and add to the drama and tension, especially the mysterious Him that has them all contained in the bunker.  This is a story that will stay with me for some time and has the potential to be The Lord of the flies for this generation, an example of human nature under pressure.

This is not a pleasant read, however it is absorbing and keeps you connected to Linus throughout the story, and because of that the events in the bunker are made that much more real because you experience them as he does.

If you read this book and would like to read similar books then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

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