Something Invisible

For a while I thought this novel was going to be that very rare thing: a fundamentally cheerful contemporary story about a boy without any real problems. Its hero, 11-year-old Jake, is bright, loves his parents, likes school and is fascinated by words. And then there is Stella – a forceful child from a big family living nearby who in the most charming way becomes his first girl friend. Written with the lightest of touches plus considerable charm, it all seems too good to be true, and sadly, that is exactly how it eventually turns out. A hideous car accident wrecks Jake’s relationship with Stella and he also has some painful adjustments to make at home, given that his adopted status now seems harder for him with the arrival of a new baby born to both parents. But some sort of happiness is restored by the end, and all the way through this beautifully written story there are numbers of pleasant surprises from an author writing at the top of her form.