Product Description

He is coming to kill me. Now would be a good time to run. I cannot run. I am too afraid to run. Paul Varderman could be at any normal school - bullies, girls and annoying teachers are just a part of life. Unfortunately 'normal' doesn't apply when it comes to the school's most evil bully, Roth, a twisted and threatening thug with an agenda quite unlike anyone else. When Paul ends up delivering a message from Roth to the leader of a gang at a nearby school, it fuels a rivalry with immediate consequences. Paul attempts to distance himself from the feud, but when Roth hands him a knife it both empowers him and scares him at the same time ...This thought-provoking and original novel highlights the terrible consequences of peer pressure and violence, and casts a spotlight on the worrying rise in knife crime among teenagers.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #118214 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
Every writer hates to hear the words "stunning new talent" applied to someone else, but in the case of Anthony McGowan nothing else will do --Meg Rosoff

Review
The story of how Paul, the narrator, is dragged into using a knife by Roth, a bullying teenager he fears and hates, is gripping, but what makes you sit up is that its author, Anthony McGowan, is one of the most talented new writers around

Review
Anthony McGowan's insight is razor-sharp. If there's an author writing for children today who can really inhabit the skin of his characters, it's McGowan

Customer Reviews

Chilling, riveting novel by teen master
The Knife That Killed me has possibly the best first chapter of any book I've ever read. And it takes off from there -- an elegant controlled story about teen angst, outsiders, bullies and knife crime in school that should be read by every secondary school student. The story itself twists like a knife, as we follow the protagonist's slow-motion falling into deep trouble. It's a compelling read, not as wild and eccentric as Hellbent or Henry Tumour, but no worse for that. Highly recommended.

A compelling read
Anthony McGowan has penned an absorbing and chilling novel which is both a warning against the menace that knives are in today's teenage culture, and a study of alienation and 'different-ness' and how it can be both divisive and misunderstood.

Paul, a 16 year old schoolboy, is the narrator of this brooding tale, and as we see him torn between acceptance from two very different quarters, we become involved in his tale and desperate to see him triumph. McGowan however is not going to make this process easy, and his taut, spare prose, and understanding of the teenage psyche, will keep you riveted until the shocking, surprising end.

Excellent, thought-provoking read
When Paul stands up to school bully Roth, Roth encourages him to join his gang, giving him a knife as a sweetener to the deal. At the same time, Paul becomes friendly with the school freaks - geeks, goths and nerds, led by the charismatic Shane - and is attracted to Maddy, a bright girl in the group who seems to like him. Torn between the violent Roth and too-cool Shane, Paul also finds himself sucked into the rivalry between Roth and Goddo, gang leader at a rival school, which eventually erupts in violence and his own death.

Paul's characterisation is excellent and it's easy to see how he ended up in a situation he didn't want to be in. Weak-willed, lost and lonely, he's looking for somewhere to belong and the intimidating Roth's offer of friendship would give him an identity within the school. Shane however offers him a chance to be valued for himself and the confidence that this gives Paul seems to give him some much needed hope.

McGowan teases out the tension - although you think you know how this is going to end, it doesn't detract from Paul's story - and there's a heart-breaking moment mid-way through the book involving Paul's plan for a date with Maddy, which could easily descend into cliche, but for Paul's voice which keeps you rooting for him all the way.

However I wasn't convinced by Shane who's a little too good to be true (contrast with Roth who, while completely vile, is always credible). McGowan tries to offset this by giving Paul a rival for Shane's attention in the sly Kirk, who's constantly trying to do him down but I still didn't quite feel that I knew who Shane was except for how other characters saw him.

Although the ending doesn't pull its punches, it still feels a little rushed and more could have been made of the consequences. There were also times when stylistically it was too reminiscent of the excellent HENRY TUMOUR - partly because I think it's set in the same school, but also because of the way some of Paul's thoughts are set out (not helped by a scene where he talks about having a brain tumour).

That said, this it's a tense, chilling book that makes you think about why teens carry knives and the consequences of doing so without being preachy.