I’m going to hold my hands up here and say I am a huge Patrick Ness fan, so you know it’s going to be a positive review.
Adam Thorn’s life is about to change completely. His unpleasant boss is well, unpleasant, his ex-boyfriend is still exerting an emotional pull over him and his religious family are somewhat lacking in the milk of human kindness. Oh, and some kind of supernatural entity has risen from the lake where he is due to attend a leavers’ party, if he can get permission to go.
Set over the course of this one life-changing day, Ness weaves a complex, emotional and compelling tale. Adam is a charismatic lead character, even if at times he seems curiously passive. In any other hands, the supporting characters - the religious family, the selfish ex-boyfriend - might be reduced to crude caricature, but with an economy of words, Ness makes you understand the vulnerability at their centres, even as you rail against their words and actions.
Another great addition to the Ness YA canon.