Floored
ISBN13
9781509862306
Review published
24/07/2018
By Reviewer
Eileen
Star Rating
By Author / Illustrator
Sara Barnard et al
Age range(s)
11+
Review
Billed as The Breakfast Club meets One Day and penned by seven of the leading female writers of the UKYA scene, all at the top of their game, expectations of this unique, long-awaited, much-talked about collaborative novel, were always going to be sky high. The plot is a very simple one - six strangers get into the tiny lift together one morning at a TV studio: "the swot, the fraud, the dutiful daughter, the child star, the fangirl and the asshole...assembled in an awkward circle, trying not to stand too close to each other and failing". The tragedy which happens next brings them together and leads to a reunion on the same each day each year. The focus is on the development of the unique and impressively diverse cast of characters, each penned by a different author, who take their turn to narrate. In a stroke of PR genius, the publisher has managed to keep which author has written each character a secret, despite the best guesses of social media, and, while they all blend together seamlessly, the voices are very distinct. The clever use of social media in the story to keep the characters connected between reunions gives the story added credibility. Nor should this be dismissed as an easy summer read. The first half demands some serious reading stamina as we get to know the characters, with their individual significant circumstances and quirks. Their issues influence the storyline but never overpower it: sexuality, manipulative relationships, abuse and love, grief, education, privilege and social class as well as the inevitable shift from adolescence to adulthood. The emphasis is very much on the power of friendship to pull you through the difficult times but also the need to leave friendships you have outgrown behind. As we get to know the characters and their circumstances, our sympathies as a reader shift and, just like in life, we find ourselves empathising with the very characters we loathed! This is a hugely ambitious undertaking which largely succeeds and is immediately relatable for a full range of readers. The stellar line-up of authors will ensure readership and their closely-guarded anonymity will guarantee endless hours of book club discussion.* Spin-off stories centring on each individual character are very much in order now and will definitely find their audience! Another extraordinary collaborative novel of accidental meetings and changing relationships, this time written in verse, is We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan. Note: The identity of the authors and their characters was cleverly revealed on social media several weeks after publication, which will no doubt generate further animated discussion amongst fans of each contributing author! 320 pages / Ages 14+ / Reviewed by Eileen Armstrong, school librarian.
