A new novel from a Carnegie Medal winning Kevin Brooks is always an event. As an author he has never been afraid of challenging concepts and this is no exception. Kenzi is a typical fifteen-year-old girl and at first sight her problems are familiar tropes- the unexplained death of her mother, a distant and uncaring father and a beloved brother with a serious life-threatening health condition, unwise friendship choices and severe bullying at school. Then illness strikes her, and her skin becomes completely transparent. But the reader can feel completely respected in Brooks’ hands – the scientific background is filled in with sufficient authority to make the incredible entirely possible so that we can concentrate completely on the main character’s internal feelings. Brooks captures brilliantly the horror and revulsion and what it would mean to be so alienated from your own body. How much of your sense of self is bound up with how you look and appear to the world? This is also a deeply thought provoking look at how the media and big business would react to someone with her condition and into the moral and emotional dilemmas she is faced with. Just how far would Kenzie go to protect those she loves? The characters are beautifully drawn, and you can feel nothing but admiration for Kenzie. As the action builds, we fear that nothing can be saved from the situation. There is no easy happy ending but perhaps some peace. An unforgettable novel that will provoke a lot of discussion.
When fifteen-year-old Kenzie wakes up in hospital in a darkened room, she's in the dark about what has happened to her too. The doctors break the devastating news that she has been struck down by a rare genetic condition that means her skin has become transparent, revealing everything inside of her - and Kenzie feels repellent to look at.
But when a medical photo of her is leaked and goes viral, the press attention is massive. How can Kenzie live like this, when she doesn't want to be seen at all? Can a boy who can't even see her, be the only one to help her to find the answers. . . ?
Kevin Brooks was born in Exeter and studied in Birmingham and London. He has worked in a crematorium, a zoo, a garage and a post office, before - happily - giving it all up to write books. Kevin is the author of many acclaimed award-winning young adult novels, including Martyn Pig, Lucas, Kissing The Rain, The Road of the Dead, Black Rabbit Summer and iBoy. He now lives in North Yorkshire. The Bunker Diary won the CILIP Carnegie Medal in 2014.
