The Fall by Tristan Bancks
Book Review by Liss Caldwell
The Fall is Tristan Bancks latest YA (Young Adult) fiction.
Lashing out after years of bullying, Sam is sent to his estranged father. Worse than just being cooped up in a flat, is being there with no internet. Sam is witness to a murder and chooses to investigate, but the body has disappeared. Restricted by a recent operation and in a strange city, Sam needs help and must make a friend, something he has never been good at because he is different.
Sam is a creator of his own comic book series based on his father, hero extraordinaire and investigator of crime and this propels him forward, however Sam discovers that life, perceptions and fiction are very different.
The Fall has action and suspense packed into an intense twenty-four hours. The reader is drawn in through Sam and his story of courage. Sam’s eyes provide a window into adversity. This book is a conversation starter for students, parents and teachers and raises topics of bullying, disability, identity, broken families, crime, law and moral choices during all our versions of reality. Throughout the book, it is as if Bancks is asking the reader, “What would you do?” when the question can be black, white and grey?
As an author of YA fiction, Bancks is a master at crafting a story to intrigue and pull readers in with action, while posing contemporary social questions and producing an entertaining read. Instead of asking the “what if” question speculative fiction authors ask, Bancks has the reader asking “would I” in both his YA novels, Two Wolves and The Fall.
I enjoyed this book. I gave it to a group of six boys and girls and all rated The Fall between 4 and 5 stars out of 5. As a parent and teacher I would be buying this book. The Fall is the best conversation starter and catalyst for thought for YA readers, I’ve read in years.
Catch Tristan at The Byron Bay Writer’s Festival or on one of his writing safaris or school visits. www.tristanbancks.com
Liss Caldwell Author ~ Editor ~ Artist ~ Facilitator 