The Boys Who Saved the World

It doesn’t take long to realise that the title is ironic and that these are not boys’ own adventurers but a strange and numeric alliance of misfits, members of a radical new religion founded by the charismatic Jeremiah. This is gritty realism and the chapters record in 24 fashion the movement of time which, in the dramatic opening, is down to minutes as the group takes hostage a young Asian girl apparently overheard by Jeremiah discussing the planting of a bomb at their school. There’s a hopeless ineptness and craziness about their plans which gives them an unpredictable power that is part of the terrain of terrorism and fundamentalism. The novel is less solid on the ideas but strong on the edgy shifting of relationships as distrust breeds within the group. The tentative bond of care that grows between Jon, the narrator, and Padma, the kidnapped girl, is a green shoot of compassion among the dark and desperate deeds. Padma is a restless, resisting hostage and a strong character, even as seen through the distorting eyes of Jon, and she provides the humanity that Jon, like them all, has missed. The religious zeal and political fervour of these boys alongside their innocent female hostage creates a dangerous cocktail that is frequently intense and disturbing while the developing relationship between Jon and Padma provides some sanity and hope in a mad and dangerous world. There are many ingredients here of a good read and although it feels a bit frantic at times these are timeless concerns in a contemporary setting.