Patrick Grant has been given a second chance to be a husband and father when he marries Ella. They met after his first wife Cecelia died – Ella was his counsellor – and she is 20 years younger. Out of his three daughters, only two approve of the marriage. His eldest, Rebecca, remembers a very different childhood to the younger twins, Sophie and Frances. Rebecca has never really got along with her father after witnessing a huge fight between him and her mother on Christmas Eve when she was four, after he had been caught being unfaithful. Since then Patrick and Rebecca have always had a strained relationship, and clash over most issues.
An unexpected pregnancy results in the birth of a son for Patrick, who could not be happier. Daniel is a golden-child. He is a very talented artist, and gets on with everyone. He enjoys spending time with his family and seems to be a happy child. However, behind the smiles and laughter lurks a horrible secret. After once sticking up for a younger child, the school bullies focus their attention on Daniel. At first, there is physical violence, but after the summer it appears to stop. Instead, the bullying switches to online. A website, email accounts hacked and text messages. It’s even worse than before, but nobody else can see it. Both Patrick and Ella notice what appears to be scars from self-harm, but Daniel explains it away and no more is thought of it. Things seem to go back to normal. Then Daniel is found dead.
The book opens with Daniel’s death, and the rest of the book is told through the other characters. The reader is given several different views of the complicated family situation, and we are able to fit the pieces together and see what led Daniel to the decision to end his life.
I found this book difficult to read at some points due to the subject matter, but in a time where cyber-bullying is in the news more and more I thought this was a very relevant book, which dealt with the subject very well. It shows how easy it is for this kind of bullying to go unnoticed and shows the devastating effects it can have on families. It took me a while to get into it, but once I was a few chapters in it was easier to stick with, and definitely worth reading.
Classics and Cupcakes 