OrangeBoy was a book which intrigued me and I had no idea what to expect. I read it quickly and it was a gripping book and it had a plot which I haven't found in another book I've read before.
It was based on a boy named Marlon who get's himself in to street life in london. He lives with his mum after his Dad died when he was young and his brother had an accident whilst being in a gang. The brother is alive but he is scared from his experiences and has lost his memory of even his brother. But, although his brother is finished with his gang life, it is following Marlon.
After Marlon is on a date with a girl who suddenly dies on a ride, he is held responsible as he was with her when she died and he is found with a bag of drugs. After going through a lot of the police procedures, he starts getting odd calls on a phone which the dead girl's grandmother gives him. Before he knows it, he is drawn in the gang life and the danger that not only he is exposed to, but also his family.
I thought the book was exiting at the begging but surprisingly, as it went on I wasn't as keen on it. I felt I was sometimes confused on what was going on and it didn't grip me as much as I thought it would. However, the plot was good I just sometimes found it lost my interest.
Having said that, I think the book being in 1st person meant
I could understand how Marlon really felt. I think this was clever and gave a positive affect on the novel as you saw how thoughts going through someones he'd can contradict their actions.
I thought that the main character development was great and you really felt like you got to know Marlon. You went through sad, happy, funny and scary experiences with him in the book and you saw inside his head what he thought and his reactions. But, I thinks some of the characters got me confused as the book sometimes used their nicknames and usual names. I also think their were quite a lot of 'gangsters' in the books but I didn't really get to see their character development as sometimes it was confusing which was which.
I thought the language and descriptive skill was really good in this novel as all moments were described and you could imagine it really well. When pain was occurring, it was described really well and you felt yourself empathising with the main character because of this.
The plot of this story was was very different from any books I read and I think having an insight into such young gangs is important to understand and know about. The boys involved in the gang were so young and the book was very real and relevant so we can know that they do occur and they can be dangerous. It also taught me that all of the members of these 'gangs' have a troubled time and its so easy to get caught up in. You learnt the real emotions of the boys while they were doing stuff they perhaps shouldn't of been doing, and it outlined how they can come across so aggressive and confident but they do not feel that inside.
Overall, it was a book which I enjoyed but it wasn't one of my favourite books and I was at times confused at what was happening. Having said that, I'm glad I read it and it was gripping and mysterious and I always wanted to know what would happen next.
It is a YA book and I would recommend it to ages 13/14-17.
