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The Road of the Dead by Kevin Brooks

 

I read this book a couple of months ago and I am still not sure what to think of 
it.  Ruben is a 14 year-old half-Gypsy in London, England.  His father, a legendary 
bare-knuckle fighter, is in jail for man slaughter.  His older brother Cole is very 
much like his father, quiet, almost cold-blooded, direct, and very good with his 
fists.  Ruben is nothing like them.  He is very sensitive to others' feelings and 
thoughts, to the point where he sometimes experiences his family's emotions even 
when they are far away.  

 

As the book begins Rueben has taken shelter from a sudden downpour in a wrecked car 
in his family's breakers yard.  It is there that Ruben "sees" the Dead Man attack 
and kill his sister Rachel miles away on the moors of Devon.  Ruben, Cole and their 
mother want only to bring the body back to London for a proper burial.  But, as the 
murder is unsolved, the police will not release the body.  Cole, a young man who 
needs to act, decides to go to Devon to find the killer so the body can be 
released.  Ruben goes along to help and to keep his brother out of serious trouble. 
 Once in Devon they find that everyone is hiding something and violence threatens 
to erupt-and sometimes does-- at every turn.

 

Brooks masterfully evokes the desolation of the moors and the quiet desperation of 
many of its residents.  The book is pervaded by an almost dream-like mood, 
somewhere between creepy and depressing.  The violence is quick and devastating and 
treated by the characters, even the sensitive Ruben, matter-of-factly.  The 
relationship between the brothers is also very well done.  The two boys couldn't be 
more different in their approaches to life yet they share a bond that only brothers 
can fully grasp.  So much of their relationship is understood but never discussed.

 

Long before the end it becomes obvious who the killer is and why Ruben perceived 
him as "the Dead Man."  The continuing danger and deception keep the book 
interesting to the end but there is the feeling that everything did quite come 
together in the end.  Foremost among those loose strings is Road of the Dead 
itself, which seems to be more an interesting aside rather than a central plot 
element.  Overall though, it is an interesting and compelling read that will appeal 
to many teen boys, particularly younger brothers.

 

Recommended for grades 8-12.

 

This review is also available on the LHS Reading Blog:

http://lhsblog.edublogs.org

 
Anthony Doyle, Librarian
Livingston High School
Livingston, CA
tdoyle@MUHSD.K12.CA.US
Http://www.lhswolves.org/library/index.htm
"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture; you just have to get people to 
stop reading them."
Ray Bradbury

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