Review: The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan

At just 180 pages, The Long Weekend is a quick read that packs a major punch. Savita Kalhan's debut novel addresses a subject that's rarely broached in young adult fiction, illustrating that the scariest stories are always the ones that could actually happen. When eleven-year-old Sam and his friend Lloyd find themselves abducted by a stranger and held captive in an isolated house, they're brought face to face with one very real horror that exists in our world. Told sensitively and unflinchingly, The Long Weekend is a story that will have readers on the edge of their seats as the boys desperately try to escape their captor - and a fate too terrifying to contemplate. It's page-turning stuff all the way, and I couldn't put it down.

The abduction itself is cleverly done, as Sam and Lloyd each assume the man calling to them both from the flash car at the school gates is the other's dad. Kalhan makes a point of just how big a part the characters' preconceptions play in what happens, as while Sam and Lloyd come from different backgrounds they've both been raised in our consumerist society. Where a man calling from a run down old banger might have set alarm bells ringing, a shiny new limo has them instantly impressed and jumping straight in, barely believing their luck. But it's ultimately Sam's upbringing that's also equipped him with the qualities he needs to be the hero of this story, and this definitely gives readers food for thought about the way that they put themselves at risk in certain situations.

The back cover of The Long Weekend warns that the content isn't suitable for younger readers, and certainly this is a story that goes to some dark places. Sam and Lloyd's ordeal is truly horrifying, and while the most disturbing events of the weekend occur off the page, it does make for unsettling reading - no matter what age you are. However, as well as being a thriller The Long Weekend is a cautionary tale for our (materlistic, celebrity-obsessed) times, putting the reader in the shoes of two characters who let their guard down and forget everything they've been taught about stranger danger. Although it doesn't pull any punches, the main characters are young themselves and Kalhan's writing is accessible enough for readers of about the same age.

No matter what age you are, Savita Kalhan's debut novel is guaranteed to make your stomach churn and your heart pound. As gripping as it is menacing, it's the kind of book that pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let you go until the very last. The Long Weekend will give you chills.

Out: October 2nd 2008, UK

Thank you to the author for providing a copy of The Long Weekend for an honest review.