Firstly, please can we just appreciate the pure beauty of this cover!
The cover was the first thing that caught my attention and as I read the blurb I realised that this was the kind of book I’ve always had a soft spot for and a book that I couldn’t wait to read. The lovely Jessica from Pan sent a copy my way and I started reading as soon as I had it in my hands!
Smart tells the story of a boy, Kieran, who is an outcast – someone who isn’t with the ‘in’ crowd and prefers to spend his time drawing and hanging out by the canal with his two homeless friends Jean and Colin. When Colin is found dead in the canal, the police are quick to close the case – convinced it was a drunken accident and Colin accidently fell into the water. But Kieran isn’t sure – he thinks it was murder. Can a young boy whose skills lie in observation and drawing really help to solve a police investigation?
It is never clearly stated whether Kieran has autism or is on the autistic spectrum but from his behaviour and the way he narrates this novel, we can deduce that he probably has some kind of autistic nature.
Kieran is the narrator of this book and because of his age, we are able to see events through such simplistic and innocent eyes and so when Kieran discusses behaviour of family or those around him, we can, with our own knowledge, infer that they are drug dealers or domestic abuse is happening without it needed to be explicitly detailed. Kieran was a brilliant protagonist and whilst the narration was simple, it was also very endearing and I felt a need to step into the pages and protect him from everything going on around him. It was a strange sense of responsibility that overcame me as I read.
As you may have gathered, this book touches on a multitude of different subjects including drugs and domestic violence which I found interesting in a children’s book. I did wonder if a younger reader would be able to pick up on the insinuations. Slater has tried to squeeze such a lot into such a small book but I think she’s managed this well. There weren’t many points where I wished there could have been more in terms of plot but there were a few times when I would have loved a little more character development – especially from Kieran’s mum and teacher. They both seemed to be huge figures in Kieran’s life but weren’t explored much. However, I do have to remind myself that this book was told through Kieran’s eyes so he is unlikely to know much about his teacher apart from what she tells him in school.
The pacing of this book was fabulous and the plot wasn’t immediately predictable which is brilliant for a children’s book! Normally I can predict them before I have started reading. I did start to draw parallels between this book and others along similar lines such as The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-time and Wonder – books where the protagonist doesn’t fit in and becomes a star in their own right. I like the message that these types of books send out.
Smart isn’t overly long. It’s only about 250 pages so it’s not taxing in the slightest and can be read in one sitting.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book but I would be wary of giving it to children – perhaps it is more suitable for 14+? I guess it is all dependent on the maturity of the child though! I was on the edge of giving this book four stars but I decided to go with five, mainly because of the beautiful cover and for Kieran as a character – he alone is worth five stars!
An interesting novel that is a must read for fans of The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-time.