Flash - Hardcover

Cadnum, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374399115 ISBN 13: 9780374399115

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 2010

Synopsis

When two teenage brothers bungle a bank robbery, their attempt to hide the evidence is witnessed―aurally―by Terrence, a legally blind neighbor. Terrence tells his girlfriend, Nina, and her brother, who then disappears with a handgun. Nina is afraid of what he might do to the brothers. But she also has every reason to fear what the brothers will do to Terrence.

Flash ingeniously interweaves the stories of two who are hellbent on a destructive path, two who stand in their way, and one whose actions may be the spark to set the whole thing off.

About this title

About the Author

MICHAEL CADNUM lives in Albany, California, where this novel takes place. He is the author of many acclaimed titles, including Peril on the Sea, and The Book of the Lion, a National Book Award finalist.

Reviews

Starred Review. Grade 9 Up—Milton, 18, and his brother Bruce, 16, are planning a bank robbery. Their long-suffering mom is trying to get a pension deal, and their alcoholic dad was killed when the sugar plant blew up. They need money now, but Milton has concerns about Bruce, who may have mental problems and seems to have some pretty scary ideas about when violence is justified. Down the street live Nina, a talented photographer; her brother, Carraway, who has just returned from Iraq with a serious injury; and their dad, who has financial woes. Everyone in this book has troubles and faces moral dilemmas. Nina's boyfriend is almost legally blind, and he gets caught up in a frightening situation as a witness to the robbery, as do Nina and her brother. Carraway also needs money for a lawyer to get out of having to go back to active duty; his mental state and possibility for violence add to the tension. The fear instilled in the witnesses by the brothers is clever and nail-bitingly thrilling; the personal stories are real and compelling; the characters are three-dimensional and beautifully drawn; and the situation will have readers asking, "What would I do?" over and over again. Teens will love this first-rate novel.—Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO
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Cadnum’s latest is a tight tapestry of stories that exist separately until the inevitable collision. At the center is Milton and his dropout brother Bruce, two shiftless teens whose botched bank robbery sets up the swift drama that follows. As they sneak back home covered in green dye from the booby-trapped bank bag, they are witnessed by Terrence, a nearly blind neighbor. Terrence’s girlfriend, Nina, gets wind of all this and is disturbed, but she’s got other concerns—her brother Carraway, recuperating from wounds suffered in Iraq, has suddenly returned home, possibly AWOL and with a newly unsettling manner. Plots centering on guns—who has one, when might it go off—often have a one-note quality. Cadnum gets around this by doling out character details via short digressions that often come much later than expected. This gives the story an off-kilter unpredictability. Offering cool insight into the criminal mind-set, this is a perfect choice to challenge reluctant readers. Grades 8-11. --Daniel Kraus

Edition details

• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
• Publication date: 2010
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0374399115
• ISBN 13: 9780374399115
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240