Black Rabbit Summer is a refreshingly British novel. Whereas many current teen novels seem to gloss over controversial issues with an almost Hollywood glaze, Brooks deals with his dark and gritty issues in an accurate and accessible manner. Drugs, sex, alcoholism, kidnap and murder are just a few of the issues faced by Pete Boland, the main character. Pete’s epic trudge to discover the truth is clouded by drugs and the loss of his close friend, the plot thickening until a purposefully anticlimactic ending (not unexpected of Brooks).

Kevin once told me that ‘the journey itself is more important than the end’ and Black Rabbit Summer reflects that exactly; a plot so thick and juicy that the ending, ultimately, pales into insignificance.