Arctic Zoo is a contemporary novel based around 2 teenagers lives: Georgia and Julius. It is unlike anything I have read before as for the vast majority of the book these 2 characters do not meet, live in the same country or have any kind of link to each other. All we have is a small scene at the start of the book of the first encounter the 2 have of one another in an adolescent mental health unit in the UK. We then get taken a year or so back in time, to when Julius lives with his rich, large family who are constantly in the spotlight being one of the richest families in Akure and Julius's uncle being a corrupt political leader.
With Georgia we are taken back to when she was 14 years old and an A* student, living with her dad and flying competition drones for her dad's and uncles drone team, soon after she gets a phone call from her Mother with terrible news, which then goes on to influence the way her future plays out.
Julius & Georgia's stories are so vivid and complex and yet so different. I was impressed with how much research Muchamore has done especially in Julius's case as I've never been to Nigeria but he made me get a feel of how horrendous it would be to live in a country where there is so much political crime & human rights violation. You'd think that Julius would have it easy with being from one of the most wealthy families & under constant protection but if anything he is in more danger because of the opposition of his uncles political position. One thing makes Julius more of a target though: He's gay.
There are some parts of his story that I had to put the book down and think about what I'd read and the sickening feeling I had in my stomach. Julius has a secret boyfriend called Duke who is out as gay to everybody including the school in which they both attend. Dukes life is made a living hell on a daily basis as Akure is a heavily Christian town, so being homosexual is seen as a sin that deserves punishment. The abuse that Duke went through really pulled on my emotions, it was just so hard to read and the genuine but limited relationship Julius and Duke had together was made all the more difficult because of Julius's social standing which his cousins soon took into their own hands to protect. Julius's mother, a self made business tycoon and the power behind her brothers political campaign, goes to extremes to keep the pair apart. After an attack on her sons, she sends Julius away from Duke and the growing political bloodshed, to the UK, where eventually Georgia and Julius's paths cross.
Georgia has led a very different life. I didn't connect with her character as much as I did Julius's and I felt it kind of rushed. She goes from this average, good, smart girl to a national public figure after being asked by her sister's ex-boyfriend, to attend a radical protest group and soon ends up on the front cover of the newspaper after things go further than she initially intended. Taken up in the whirlwind of fame and new friends and through no fault of her own, she becomes the opposite of what she was and is seen as a leader for the younger generation in protests against the current government and the cuts they are implementing throughout the country. I really couldn't understand the complete lack of parenting from her father and mother, and I kept having to remind myself this was a YA book with younger than usual main characters, as Georgia goes on to skip school and non-intentionally lead others down the same path. Eventually she gets her comeuppance as they carry out what they thought was a non-lethal attack on the prime minister but things go wrong, people get seriously injured and it turns into what is seen to be an act of terror.
Both stories were interesting to read and I liked the way Muchamore led you to believe the story was going in one direction but then another turn of events played out and you were kept on your toes and turning those pages. Alternate characters view-points at every chapter can sometimes feel a bit 'stop-start' but this didn't at all. As soon as I finished a Julius chapter I was just as thrilled to start again with Georgia's and what was happening in her life. I think this helped because the chapters were quite short and didn't feel like you were reading in depth about one person only to be cut off at things were getting good.
I cant really find anything wrong with Arctic Zoo, it was a quick read for me even with its 450+ pages. The only reason I knocked half a star off the full 5 is down to my own enjoyment factor. The book addresses some very relevant issues in the world today and at times points out the stark and ugly truth of why more isn't done. Sadly this has a lot to do with the media and Robert Muchamore says it how it is and doesn't try to flower it up through these two characters that have experienced the darker side of politics & media. The first book I've read by Robert Muchamore and I can safely say I will be reading his other books after this.
With Georgia we are taken back to when she was 14 years old and an A* student, living with her dad and flying competition drones for her dad's and uncles drone team, soon after she gets a phone call from her Mother with terrible news, which then goes on to influence the way her future plays out.
Julius & Georgia's stories are so vivid and complex and yet so different. I was impressed with how much research Muchamore has done especially in Julius's case as I've never been to Nigeria but he made me get a feel of how horrendous it would be to live in a country where there is so much political crime & human rights violation. You'd think that Julius would have it easy with being from one of the most wealthy families & under constant protection but if anything he is in more danger because of the opposition of his uncles political position. One thing makes Julius more of a target though: He's gay.
There are some parts of his story that I had to put the book down and think about what I'd read and the sickening feeling I had in my stomach. Julius has a secret boyfriend called Duke who is out as gay to everybody including the school in which they both attend. Dukes life is made a living hell on a daily basis as Akure is a heavily Christian town, so being homosexual is seen as a sin that deserves punishment. The abuse that Duke went through really pulled on my emotions, it was just so hard to read and the genuine but limited relationship Julius and Duke had together was made all the more difficult because of Julius's social standing which his cousins soon took into their own hands to protect. Julius's mother, a self made business tycoon and the power behind her brothers political campaign, goes to extremes to keep the pair apart. After an attack on her sons, she sends Julius away from Duke and the growing political bloodshed, to the UK, where eventually Georgia and Julius's paths cross.
Georgia has led a very different life. I didn't connect with her character as much as I did Julius's and I felt it kind of rushed. She goes from this average, good, smart girl to a national public figure after being asked by her sister's ex-boyfriend, to attend a radical protest group and soon ends up on the front cover of the newspaper after things go further than she initially intended. Taken up in the whirlwind of fame and new friends and through no fault of her own, she becomes the opposite of what she was and is seen as a leader for the younger generation in protests against the current government and the cuts they are implementing throughout the country. I really couldn't understand the complete lack of parenting from her father and mother, and I kept having to remind myself this was a YA book with younger than usual main characters, as Georgia goes on to skip school and non-intentionally lead others down the same path. Eventually she gets her comeuppance as they carry out what they thought was a non-lethal attack on the prime minister but things go wrong, people get seriously injured and it turns into what is seen to be an act of terror.
Both stories were interesting to read and I liked the way Muchamore led you to believe the story was going in one direction but then another turn of events played out and you were kept on your toes and turning those pages. Alternate characters view-points at every chapter can sometimes feel a bit 'stop-start' but this didn't at all. As soon as I finished a Julius chapter I was just as thrilled to start again with Georgia's and what was happening in her life. I think this helped because the chapters were quite short and didn't feel like you were reading in depth about one person only to be cut off at things were getting good.
I cant really find anything wrong with Arctic Zoo, it was a quick read for me even with its 450+ pages. The only reason I knocked half a star off the full 5 is down to my own enjoyment factor. The book addresses some very relevant issues in the world today and at times points out the stark and ugly truth of why more isn't done. Sadly this has a lot to do with the media and Robert Muchamore says it how it is and doesn't try to flower it up through these two characters that have experienced the darker side of politics & media. The first book I've read by Robert Muchamore and I can safely say I will be reading his other books after this.