With the rise of the Young Adult book, there seems be a bit a wall when it comes to them being aimed at boys in recent years, but that’s about to change. BOY NOBODY tells the story of a boy who, at the age of 11, finds himself under the control of an organisation named The Program who brainwash kids as counter-espionage operatives. He has completed his latest mission, and finds himself going to the next. But when his latest mission makes him question everything he has known, he starts craving ‘normal’ things in life and is willing to risk the mission for them.
The book is chilling from the get go, quotes like “That’s my specialty, people die around me but it never seems like my fault” from our teenage assassin, who has the alias “Benjamin”, is somewhat emotionally dead. Author Allen Zadoff creates the illusion of this brainwashed teenager by using quick and short sentences, even to describe moments when the teen is under attack and it portrays the alienation perfectly. This teen has been trained to be stoic and knows no different. The story also has a good incorporation of modern technology for the boy to complete his mission, it will make you see the iPhone and Apps in a whole new light.
Another interesting way that Zadoff manages to keep the story refreshing is how the violence is present throughout the story, but it does sway away from full gory detail. Boy Nobody should make quite the impact on the YA audience as a whole, instead of targeting a specific kind. But don’t get us wrong, Zadoff doesn’t beat around the bush with certain things, so things aren’t too dumbed down as this is a YA book after all, not a children’s book!
As the story progresses, you might find yourself rolling your eyes as our teenager starts to fall for Samara, the daughter of his next target but it’s not the kind of love story that falls into cliché. His feelings make him start to question everything, all he wants in life is a normal life, family and friends where he doesn’t have to assassinate them all. We kinda like that the author starts to make us feel for a killing machine. To keep spoilers to a minimum, the latter stages of BOY NOBODY are worth waiting for, you might to take a second look afterwards…
BOY NOBODY is a gripping, nail-biting tale that keeps you on the edge of your seat, so much so that it might seem inhuman. No wonder Sony Pictures and Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment snapped up this story so quickly, he might just be on the same level as Jason Bourne.
BOY NOBODY IS OUT NOW. You can pick up a copy via this link here!
