Title: Truth or Dare
Author: Non Pratt
Publisher: Walker Books
UK Release Date: 1st June 2017
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary
Pages: 304
Format: Proof
Source: Local independent bookshop
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A powerful and moving novel about bravery from the Guardian’s “writer to watch” Non Pratt, perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, John Green and Holly Bourne.
How far is too far when it comes to the people you love? Claire Casey hates being the centre of attention. But if it means getting Sef Malik to notice her, it’s a risk she’s happy to take. Sef is prepared to do anything to help his recently disabled brother. But this means putting Claire’s love – and life – on the line. Because when you’re willing to risk everything, what is there left to lose?
- Trigger warning (highlight as contains a spoiler): sexual assault.
I am a big fan of Non Pratt, both as an author and also as a person, so I was hugely excited to receive a proof of this back in late February from my local independent bookshop. I thoroughly enjoyed Unboxed by her as well, so eagerly got started, and overall I really enjoyed this book of hers too.
First of all, I absolutely loved the concept behind the book. Obviously it’s a heart-breaking one, as you find out all about the story of Kam, Sef’s brother, and how he endured a life-changing brain injury. However, beyond the tragedy, it was also very engaging. The protagonists, Claire and Sef, create a YouTube channel to film themselves performing truths and dares (hence the title) to try and raise money for Kam’s hospital care. The way Non Pratt brought in social media and the internet felt so relevant to me as a teenager, but I’m sure it would be relevant for a wider audience than just teenagers, as the internet is such a big part of modern life. I loved that the book really embraced the teenage way of life nowadays, and I thought it was a very cleverly done concept.
I also loved the amount of diversity that Non Pratt had in the book. It’s so important for authors to have a varied cast of characters, and in this Truth or Dare was excellent. Kam and Sef came from a family that was an ethnic minority, and one of Claire’s best friends, Seren, was asexual. What made this so great was that Non Pratt didn’t just include the characters, but also opened up dialogue around some key issues. For example, there was a subplot with Seren and another character, Rich, who had a crush on her, and she had to very pointedly explain how being asexual wasn’t a choice, and that she didn’t want to go out with him, even though he was her friend. It was development like this that really made the diversity in this book stand out as more than most authors include.
Finally, I really enjoyed the split perspective and the flip book element to the novel. Non Pratt’s other novels, Trouble and Remix, were split perspective and changed every other chapter. This book had half from Claire’s perspective, and then at an enormous cliffhanger, it changes perspective and you have to flip the book over and get the other half of the book from Sef’s perspective. It was such a good way to do it, and I think I like it best in that style for this book, as you built up one perception of Sef, and then your opinion has to shift a bit with the change in narration, which you wouldn’t get if it changed every other chapter. It was also just loads of fun to get to flip the book halfway over!
On the whole, I enjoyed this book a lot, and would highly recommend it. I thought it was excellent in its diversity, split perspective that worked excellently, and its overall concept. I also just wanted to say that Non Pratt actually did one of the dares from the book, by shaving her head at YALC, and raised £2000 in the process for a neurological disabilities charity, which I think is amazing.
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