Three hours ** CONTAINS SPOILERS **

[StealthPolarBear]

Did we ever find out the identity of the third shooter?
How brilliant a twist was it that the police officer wasn't fine after all? I didn't see that coming at all.

Glad you enjoyed it!

Which twist do you mean, the third gunman/dead policeman?

No not Victor. The other boy who left the school and who Victor was seen talking to. Malin? I'll try and look back.

Malin Cohen - they found out he'd been arrested for assault in the states, and a teacher saw him and Victor in a pub after that. But I think the theory then was that Victor approached him to be his wingman but Malin turned him down.

Ah yes that sounds familiat

@Bouncycastle12

Thanks! But who is the person shooting at the end when the two boys are hiding in the boathouse?

Rose turned up after that didn't she? I assumed that the police shot the fake policeman and then went to the boys.

I think it was because the bullets made the twig snapping noise that the baddies’ gun made - AND that it was unlikely that the police would shoot like that (why not just batter the door down?) that made me think there was a third shooter - and not know who it was.

Which twist do you mean, the third gunman/dead policeman?

@StealthPolarBearStealthpolarbear That was the twist that I didn't see coming at all, I thought it was quite cleverly done.

What did others think of including the refugee boys? I think that was a good part of the plot.

@Bouncycastle12

I think it was because the bullets made the twig snapping noise that the baddies’ gun made - AND that it was unlikely that the police would shoot like that (why not just batter the door down?) that made me think there was a third shooter - and not know who it was.

I think the police were shooting the third gunman in order to kill him. They weren't shooting their way into the shed. Or have I read that wrong?

@bettbattenburg I thought Rafi and Basi were great characters. I loved the relationship between them and how they meant so much to each other. I have a 16yr old and I was trying to imagine him behaving like Rafi! Mine is very gentle and kind but I'd not bet on him coming through the horrors that Rafi did.

All the MacBeth stuff - Rafi having his dad's copy of the play - and the intertwining of the plot and the parallels to Aleppo and the significance of the woods in the play and also in the book were clever.

Were Rafi and his brother catalysts for Victor doing what he did? Would Victor still have done it if they weren't at the school? Was the head shot because of his role in getting Rafi and Basi out of Dunkirk?

Honestly this is the first book in years that's got me thinking about it to this extent. And I can't believe it was only 99p - I've read so many terrible books at that price, this one is in a totally different league.

Oh - coincidentally, I happened upon a programme about Sandy Hook and Adam Lanza last night.

Completely agree. And yes i thought all the macbeth stuff was good, and the fact it was an idea from it that saved them.
I found the stuff from the boys mum very hard to read.

And the line about the little boy being embarrassed he wet the bed and the headteacher telling him all ex soldiers had symptoms like that.

@StealthPolarBear

Completely agree. And yes i thought all the macbeth stuff was good, and the fact it was an idea from it that saved them. I found the stuff from the boys mum very hard to read.

I thought the Macbeth stuff was good too.

I can't imagine being in a situation like that, to react the way the boy's mother did. I can't imagine reacting like that myself

Read this today on the recommendation from the other thread and just wanted to say thank you, absolutely loved it.

Loved how she related the story to real life events and tweets and made you realise the damaging effect they could have on individuals that are feeling disillusioned.

I did start wondering about PC Beard, when they managed to make it to the theatre, I was really worried that when they started rehearsing again and the witches had painted swastikas on their costumes that more of the pupils were going to be involved, so was relieved that didn’t play out.

Such a clever book and as a mum of teens pretty terrifying. And felt heartbroken for the ordeal the brothers endured, very thought provoking all round.

Glad you liked it :)

Rafi was wise beyond his years wasn't he? I suppose the experiences he'd had would do that to you. The way he reassured Basi was so deft, eg telling him they looked like they were in a box of chocolates, and using thr laser pointer to distract Basi when they were in the boat. Although actually, now I come to think of it, why did he have a laser pointer with him?!

Hmm, yes, it's an odd thing to have isn't it? I can't imagine many teenage boys carry one around. Maybe it was less obvious than a torch and could show Basi the way to go or to be used for a signal?

@StealthPolarBear that was just an astounding book. I haven’t read anything so good in a long, long while and it is going to stay with me for quite some time.
I’ll say thank you, even though I’m still crying a bit. ❤️

The only bit that jarred was the policeman and I should have seen that for what it was.

Honestly this is the first book in years that's got me thinking about it to this extent. And I can't believe it was only 99p - I've read so many terrible books at that price, this one is in a totally different league.

Totally agree. Some of the imagery is stunning. The description of the books is one - purple exploding, lighthouse smashed.....
The dogged way the Pottery Room teacher makes tiles to put against the window when she must know it’s futile. The descriptions of the parents waiting i.e the white faced young man playing with the toddler.
Jamie’s Mum’s conversations in her head with him that suddenly change, wow, those were pretty hard to read.

I think the fact we don’t know anything about the 3rd gunman points at how white supremacist terrorism is every bit as coldly professional as any other group’s. Victor is as much a victim of their recruitment as Jamie, although rendered unsympathetic because of his psychopathic tendencies, but it’s pointed out in passing that psychopaths can be business leaders and CEOs and successful in life. He didn’t need to end up doing that any more than Jamie did.

Saucer, why? I didn't get the police man thing at all, and didn't feel stupid, I thought it was really cleverly done. At the start when he said "no, car was dented but I'm fine" the overall level of threat still seemed quite low and most people were still feeling optimistic.

Plus he did a really good job of being a frustrated hero (initially because he was unarmed)
Good point about Victor also being a victim.

It was the way he spoke. Like a caricature of a British Bobby. All that “we’ll get these buggers.....can’t run as fast as I used to thanks to the wife’s dinners....” etc. All the other police officers were just people iyswim. He was a disembodied voice in the Gatehouse. I thought the author had just taken her eye off the ball there and passed over it. When in reality it was a cold, calculated attempt to fool the children, especially Rafi.

Ooh you're right. He was a bit of a caricature I suppose.

He was very cleverly drawn, all that making himself seem like an ordinary bloke, fairly unfit etc. Not at all threatening.

I'm not sure that I feel sorry for Victor. Maybe he was a victim (is there any significance in his name - Victor/victim/victorious?). But he was allegedly super intelligent and could have made different choices. Also, I don't think the rape fantasies he wrote were as a result of being radicalised?

When in reality it was a cold, calculated attempt to fool the children, especially Rafi.

And to fool the reader, I certainly fell for it.
it makes sense now, I mean if he was a real PC then he'd have been risking certain death and the character wasn't really one to have stood a chance given the description and Neil would have known that yet went along with it given that he didn't have any inkling that he wasn't a genuine policeman.