By: Sonya Hartnett Publisher: Candlewick Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Candlewick Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 256 Publication Date: May 22, 2007 Reading Level: Young Adult Release Date: May 22, 2007
Product Description: I am dying: it’s a beautiful word. Like the long slow sigh of a cello: dying. But the sound of it is the only beautiful thing about it.
As life slips away, Gabriel looks back over his brief twenty years, which have been clouded by frustration and humiliation. A small, unforgiving town and distant, punitive parents ensure that he is never allowed to forget the horrific mistake he made as a child. He has only two friends - his dog, Surrender, and the unruly wild boy, Finnigan, a shadowy doppelganger with whom the meek Gabriel once made a boyhood pact. But when a series of arson attacks grips the town, Gabriel realizes how unpredictable and dangerous Finnigan is. As events begin to spiral violently out of control, it becomes devastatingly clear that only the most extreme measures will rid Gabriel of Finnigan for good.
Child kills parents This book was on my child's summer reading list for school. I read it to discuss this with him. The story is about a troubled youth with a mental health problem. I felt that there was some very serious conflicts in the book that should be read not as a summer reading but in conjunction with a class. The whole issue of mental health is one that should be taken seriously especially with young adults. The book should include some discussion points so if the book is read without a classroom situation the parent can discuss the many conflicts in the book with their child
Disturbing and compelling! This book was recommended to me by one of my students, and I'm extremely impressed. This is a story about a young man's struggles to overcome an abusive life, and it is told in a narrative style that keeps you guessing until the very end. The split between Gabriel and Finnegan begins to grow wider with each passing day, and in the end, it becomes clear that Finnegan will no longer be content watching Gabriel's life from the sidelines. It is a gripping novel full of suspense and dread. A wonderful read!
Don't read any review, just see how many stars it got! It would have been a great story if I didn't read any review first. The title 'Surrender' would have meant more than just a symbol of what inside. The dog was the key to open the mystery but not because of its personality but because of its existence.
Some dialogs were composed just the right way to elude guesses but in some scenes you could feel the awkwardness. Well, it's better to find it out yourself.
Dark, yet smart and thought-provoking On his deathbed, gasping for breath and clinging to life, Gabriel remembers his past. He recalls his childhood, when he was called Anwell. At the age of seven, entrusted with the care of his older, developmentally disabled brother while his mother rested and his father escaped, Anwell accidentally killed the older boy, an event that caused his family simultaneous trauma, embarrassment and relief.
Two years later, Anwell, isolated from his peers by his overly protective parents, encounters a very different boy, named Finnigan. The two make a pact: from now on, Finnigan will do all the bad things Anwell wants to do but can't, while Anwell does only good things. The friendless boy, desperate for company, agrees to be a reflection of his newfound blood brother, a sort of angel who can earn his repentance by attaining perfection. To mark his new status, the boy renames himself after the only angel he knows: Gabriel.
As Gabriel grows older, a series of arsons terrorize his small town. Gabriel knows who's committing the crimes and finds himself torn between the constable and his own father, who wants to form a kind of vigilante team to thwart the perpetrator. Gabriel also acquires a dog named Surrender, who soon leaves to roam the hills and forests with Finnigan, who is as restless and rangy as the dog itself.
When Gabriel develops a fixation on a female classmate, the events of his childhood and the effects of his pact with Finnigan come to a head. As the truth of Gabriel's condition is slowly revealed, readers will begin to question how much of the story --- even the horrifically violent climax --- is real, and how much of it is contained only within the mind of a disturbed young man.
Sophisticated plotting, mature vocabulary and violent themes make SURRENDER a novel suitable for older teens with the maturity to handle the book's subtle nuances and sinister themes. Sonya Hartnett doesn't write down to her audience; instead, she crafts an understated plot that grows ever more disturbing as the truth is revealed. However, readers who are ready to tackle challenging, thought-provoking fiction will relish the novel's depth and darkness.
--- Reviewed by Norah Piehl
A disappointment I'm sorry to say I felt this book didn't live up to its hype. Although the concept was interesting and the writing was at times inspired and evocative, it left me flat. I felt like I'd heard it all before and I found the outcome predictable. I am an extremely well-read lover of contemporary fiction, and perhaps my expectations were just too high. Having said this - I am sure young adults (for whom the book is actually written) would be far more entranced.
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