SURRENDER
Sonya Hartnett
Candlewick Press
Psychological Thriller
ISBN: 0763627682
256 pages

On his deathbed, gasping for breath and clinging to life, Gabriel remembers his past. He recalls his childhood, when he was called Anwell. At the age of seven, entrusted with the care of his older, developmentally disabled brother while his mother rested and his father escaped, Anwell accidentally killed the older boy, an event that caused his family simultaneous trauma, embarrassment and relief.

Two years later, Anwell, isolated from his peers by his overly protective parents, encounters a very different boy, named Finnigan. The two make a pact: from now on, Finnigan will do all the bad things Anwell wants to do but can't, while Anwell does only good things. The friendless boy, desperate for company, agrees to be a reflection of his newfound blood brother, a sort of angel who can earn his repentance by attaining perfection. To mark his new status, the boy renames himself after the only angel he knows: Gabriel.

As Gabriel grows older, a series of arsons terrorize his small town. Gabriel knows who's committing the crimes and finds himself torn between the constable and his own father, who wants to form a kind of vigilante team to thwart the perpetrator. Gabriel also acquires a dog named Surrender, who soon leaves to roam the hills and forests with Finnigan, who is as restless and rangy as the dog itself.

When Gabriel develops a fixation on a female classmate, the events of his childhood and the effects of his pact with Finnigan come to a head. As the truth of Gabriel's condition is slowly revealed, readers will begin to question how much of the story --- even the horrifically violent climax --- is real, and how much of it is contained only within the mind of a disturbed young man.

Sophisticated plotting, mature vocabulary and violent themes make SURRENDER a novel suitable for older teens with the maturity to handle the book's subtle nuances and sinister themes. Sonya Hartnett doesn't write down to her audience; instead, she crafts an understated plot that grows ever more disturbing as the truth is revealed. However, readers who are ready to tackle challenging, thought-provoking fiction will relish the novel's depth and darkness.

   --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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