Synopsis: Pip McLeod’s passion is rock climbing. His life is simple, his ambitions clear-cut. But under the surface new currents are stirring, threatening everything he believes indestructible. His domineering father; a high-flying brother whose life is in free fall; the heady turbulence of romance. As events spiral out of control Pip is forced to make a dramatic choice, to confront issues of life and death alone … and in facing the ultimate loss, discovers what matters most of all.

Review: Featuring both rock climbing and football action this is bound to appeal to boys. These sequences are packed with all the tension and excitement of live events but this is a story about much more than sporting challenges. It is packed with issues; the relationship between father and sons and between brothers is central to the plot as is Pip’s adolescent experience of girls and his brother’s involvement with drugs. The story even confronts hunting as an issue and sets up a nice dilemma – to shoot with a camera or with a gun. Even gun safety is a pivotal theme. There is abundant satisfying detail and a real sense of urgency before an unexpectedly positive resolution.

A well-written adventure and a powerful yet accessible text.

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2008-06-27