Age 12+

When 15-year-old Kit and his parents are caught in a storm in their sailing boat and blown onto a strange island, a nightmare adventure begins. The island is inhabited by a zealous religious community full of murderous hatred for outsiders. Bowler, who won the Carnegie Medal for his novel River Boy, is skilled at producing emotionally involving page-turners that suggest big social and spiritual themes. This latest story is, once again, mysterious and compelling, as Kit encounters puzzling forces that hint at powers of good and evil — creatures of the sea, a man who might be human or superhuman, and an outcast girl who shows him the possibility of redemption. The intelligent and carefully crafted writing combines a specific, convincing sense of place (with its rocky landscape and dying community), with a headlong plot and resonant lessons about the dangers of religious hatred. The book’s message is that love is the only thing that can save us from the end of the world. Vivid, frightening and tender, this dark and stimulating allegory has the merit of asking as many questions as it gives answers, yet still reaches a proper resolution.

(OUP £12.99)

Explore Books

• Book Extracts

• Book Reviews

• Books Group

• Audio Books

Times Recommends

• Superfreakonomics by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J Dubner
• The Times picks the 50 best paperbacks of 2009
• Vincent van Gogh’s letters show the soul of the artist