A List of Cages by Robin Roe (TW: child abuse)

A heartbreaking story of child abuse and the power of friendship. Julian has no one. His loving parents died in an accident. He has no other close family. And he finds it difficult to make friends. He does a brief stint in a lovely foster home, but then a distant uncle takes him in, and life gets worse than he ever imagined.

There’s a sliver of light when Adam, his old foster brother, starts spending time with him at school. Adam can tell something is wrong, so he digs and digs, until he discovers the devastating truth. 

This book is genuinely heart-shattering, and genuinely shocking. It goes to some extremely dark places, but it also shows that friendship can pull you out of the deepest depths. It also has representations of characters with ADHD and dyslexia. 

“Hate ricochets, but kindness does too.” 

This is a book that explores #childabuse #loneliness #ADHD #dyslexia 

Video review here