Synopsis: Cam Stewart thinks he is the ordinary boy with an ordinary American lifestyle until he is kidnapped, held up for ransom, runs away and finally uncovers the truth of his birth and upbringing. A superb and exciting adventure novel that holds the reader on the edge of their seat.

Review: Have you ever started watching a cheap made-for-TV film and been totally drawn into it? No matter how much you tell yourself that it is trashy rubbish, you can’t bring yourself to turn off the television. With Zoo, Graham Marks has written the novel equivalent of such a film.

Aimed at teenagers, Zoo is packed full of every American thriller cliché you can think of. The police aren’t police, they’re cops; tough-talking, caffeine fuelled hard men with hearts of gold. There are suspicious WASP parents, dodgy private eyes, smart talking tramps and, of course, the sexy girl with the irritating boyfriend who sees the error of her ways when the hero turns up. There are car chases, gun fights and lots of serious macho talk punctuated with the odd sarcastic wisecrack. The characters respond to each revelation or twist with horror and surprise despite the fact that you as a reader saw it coming eight chapters away. It should be rubbish, but like the best trashy thrillers, it is completely gripping - even if it does leave you feeling slightly dirty afterwards.

It is impossible to describe the story without giving too much away. All that needs to be said is that it starts with a kidnapping, which leads to a chase, and then morphs into a story so laughably preposterous that it cannot help but drag you along with it. Marks never lets the pace drop enough for us to realise that the book is nonsense and there is no doubt that he is a talented writer, particularly when writing dialogue. It’s true that the characters don’t talk like any human beings I’ve ever met, but the slick, slangy dialogue will be familiar to anyone who has ever watched the O.C. or CSI.

Although Marks is clearly an accomplished writer, he does have a weakness for embarrassingly bad metaphors – spotting them can make for a fun game. My favourite: “Tee’s voice had an edge, like a fresh Gillette right out of the pack.” Ouch.

This novel is squarely aimed at older teenagers and contains strong language and graphic violence. It is a perfect no-brainer which could be enjoyed by most teenagers and even (though not without a certain sense of shame) by many adults.

2006-12-01