Arctic Zoo follows two teenagers from very different backgrounds as they navigate the challenges in their lives. Georgia from England is rebelling from her straight A destiny after a family tragedy, while Julius from Nigeria is turning away from his oppressive family to pursue a relationship he knows they would disapprove of. Both end up in the Walter J Freeman Adolescent Health Unit in the UK, and the novel takes us back to the events in both their lives that led them there.
Despite the slow start, I really enjoyed this book. Georgia and Julius' stories were both strong in their own right and I was invested in both of them. The novel touched on issues to do with politics, corruption, sexuality, mental health and more and dealt with these topics in a compassionate and thought-provoking way.
Having two completely separate stories running parallel can be tricky to pull off, but the decision to alternate them either every or every few chapters kept me interested. The book was written in a way that was very easy to read and digest, with the pace really picking up after the first one hundred pages.
The only negatives I would point out are that I wish we had been given a little more time with Georgia and Julius together. We followed their lives separately for the majority of the book, and I would have loved to see their friendship develop more after meeting. That, and the ending sequence at points stretched the realms of believability for me.
All in all, if you're looking for a good contemporary novel that tackles some of the important issues facing teenagers - and adults - today, then you may want to give this one a try.
Despite the slow start, I really enjoyed this book. Georgia and Julius' stories were both strong in their own right and I was invested in both of them. The novel touched on issues to do with politics, corruption, sexuality, mental health and more and dealt with these topics in a compassionate and thought-provoking way.
Having two completely separate stories running parallel can be tricky to pull off, but the decision to alternate them either every or every few chapters kept me interested. The book was written in a way that was very easy to read and digest, with the pace really picking up after the first one hundred pages.
The only negatives I would point out are that I wish we had been given a little more time with Georgia and Julius together. We followed their lives separately for the majority of the book, and I would have loved to see their friendship develop more after meeting. That, and the ending sequence at points stretched the realms of believability for me.
All in all, if you're looking for a good contemporary novel that tackles some of the important issues facing teenagers - and adults - today, then you may want to give this one a try.