Odd Child Out

August 28, 2017
Noah Sadler, a native-born British boy, and Abdi Mahad, a refugee from Somalia, become best friends at Medes College, a prestigious Bristol secondary school, in this engrossing novel from Macmillan (The Perfect Girl). Late one night, Noah and Abdi meet on the bank of the Feeder Canal, into which Noah falls. Det. Insp. Jim Clemo takes charge of the subsequent investigation to ascertain whether Abdi pushed Noah or it was an accident. Neither boy can give a version of what happened: Noah because he’s in an induced coma, and Abdi because he remains mute, either refusing to cooperate or deeply in shock. When crime reporter Emma Zhang, Jim’s former lover, hears of the incident, she seeks out Noah’s parents. Her reporting, however, threatens to inflame anti-immigrant sentiments, particularly by raising the suspicion that the police are holding back so as not to exacerbate racial tensions. Both Noah’s and Abdi’s families are forced to confront emotions and secrets buried over the years. The action builds to a shattering conclusion. Agent: Nelle Andrew, Peters, Fraser and Dunlop (U.K.).

Starred review from September 1, 2017

Macmillan's third novel (after What She Knew and The Perfect Girl) reveals the story of the friendship between two 15-year-old boys and the issues each face through the police investigation into their involvement in what appears to be a tragic accident. Noah Sadler, an only child from a privileged family, is pulled from a canal with serious injuries while his Somali-born friend, Abdi Hasad, looks on. Brought in to investigate the matter, Det. Jim Clemo finds that it may not have been an accident and, with social tensions in Bristol already high and a reporter determined to use the story to ratchet them even higher, learning what really happened becomes increasingly urgent. VERDICT With characters who are sympathetic and believable, Macmillan's latest will keep readers in suspense to the very end. Highly recommended.--Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2017
Noah and Abdi have been best friends ever since Noah came to school in Bristol, England, in the middle of the year, fresh from cancer treatment. Abdi, whose family are immigrants from a Somali refugee camp, is glad of a friend, even if that friend is a little needy and self-absorbed. The two are inseparable, but then the worst happens: during a sleepover, the two take a middle-of-the-night excursion, and Noah fallsor is pushed?into the canal; now he's fighting for his life. What happened that night and how wartime terrors insinuate themselves into refugees' new lives are the dual focus of this gripping look at grief, friendship, and class divides. Macmillan excels at getting into the minds of terrified, brokenhearted parents, and even if, at times, she veers too much toward telling rather than showing, this mix of police procedural and thriller will satisfy fans of the author's previous work as well as those looking for something after Tana French.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)