Book Review: 15 Days Without a Head by Dave Cousins

Fifteen-year-old Laurence Roach just wants a normal life, but it's not easy when your mum is a depressed alcoholic, and your six-year-old brother thinks he's a dog. When Mum fails to come home one night, Laurence tells nobody, terrified he and his brother will be taken into care if anyone finds out. Instead, he attempts to keep up the pretence that Mum is still around: dressing up in her clothes to trick the neighbours and spinning an increasingly complicated tangle of lies. After two weeks on their own, running out of food and money, and with suspicious adults closing in, Laurence finally discovers what happened to his mother. And that's when the trouble really starts... A compelling thriller filled with some hilarious and surreal moments. Fifteen Days Without a Head is a tender, honest story about family, forgiveness and hope.

BOOK SPECS:

Number of pages: 288

Format: Paperback

Genre: YA Fiction, Family Drama, Thiller

Tropes: Mental Illness, Dysfunctional Family, Absent Parent

SHORT REVIEW:

Some books you read and find entertaining. And some books you read and never forget. 15 Days Without a Head is one I will have in my mind for a long time. I loved this book! Such a heartbreaking and beautiful story! If you have young teens, they should most definitely read this.

HEART RATE:

SMUT SCORE:

Buy it on Amazon

---

FULL REVIEW:

15 Days Without a Head is Dave Cousins debut novel, who was spotted by Oxford University Press after winning the 2010 SCBWI Undiscovered Voices Award.

I had the pleasure of meeting Dave at a bloggers' evening a while back when I received an ARC copy of his then unpublished novel. During his introduction interview, he said something most writers will know well - that for years he had written stories and achieved them thinking they weren’t good enough, until his wife read one and convinced him to send it to a writing competition. Needless to say, he won. And through that came the release of his first novel, which is now award-winning and translated into several languages. To think that this gem was under his bed for an year because he didn't think it was good enough blows my mind. Moral of the story? If you are an aspiring writer, get someone else to read your work and give you an honest opinion.  

Plot

The plot is heart-wrenching - a teen, Laurence, living in poverty and looking after his younger brother on his own because his mum is a depressed alcoholic. Yet, his biggest fear is to have his family split apart. And even though the ending was as happy as it could be, I was absolutely heartbroken, and I don't think I will be able to forget this story any time soon. 

15 Days Without a Head is not the kind of book I'd usually read because I read for escapism - it's really no wonder I love fantasy and romance. And although this novel was definitely too close to reality for me, I am so glad I read it, I can't tell you. 

Characters

The characters are brilliant and so real at times that you feel destroyed for them. The emotion is so raw and yet portrayed so beautifully, with a hint of self-deprecating humour, that through all the heartbreak you can keep your head above water and even laugh about it. 

The most heartbreaking thing is the fact that people like Laurence get stuck going around in a vicious circle for no fault of their own, and reading 15 Days Without a Head gives you a very close glimpse of what it feels like to be in that circle. It takes a lot of principals and good character not to succumb. You have to be a fighter. Luckily, that's exactly what Laurence is. And you walk away from it praying that the happy ending holds, even though he's a fictional character. 

Writing

There is not doubt about it, this book is brilliantly written. I would go as far as saying it was the best book I read in a while. I think it should be put on the curriculum for schools. Not only because it's a brilliant piece of writing but because the issue is unfortunately common amongst teens. This book would also make a great BBC TV drama! 

OUT OF CURIOSITY:

15 Days Without a Head won two awards in the Wirral Grammar School for Boys Book Awards, which is on my neck of the woods.

Buy it on Amazon