Gary Crew, In The Secret Place, Hawkeye Publishing, August 2023, 227 pp., RRP $24.95 (pbk), ISBN 9780645714937
It is a pleasure to read the work of an experienced author at the height of his skills. This gentle, truthful, and compelling story follows experiences in the life of young teenager, Ben Gardner, who lives with his single-parenting father, might be falling for the library monitor at school, has discovered a mysterious cave beside his favourite stream, can handle a python, and is being regularly bullied by a group of tough nuts at school.
Ben has been disabled and disfigured by an accident which damaged one foot. He walks with a limp, swims in circles, and cannot join in with athletics. Otherwise, he is brilliant at chess, attractive to girls, and has a natural wit. Though he is resilient, he is all the same vulnerable when confronted by bullies or challenged by his disability.
As those around him, friends and family, reveal the complications and uncertainties in their own lives, Ben begins to set his world right, perhaps at first through the help of mysterious forces but ultimately by confronting truths about himself and others.
The story kept me gripped to the very last page, which is a tribute to Cary Crew’s ability to plot a story’s arc and create a narrating character the reader cares about and even admires.
Highly recommended for readers from twelve to fifteen and beyond.
Reviewed by Kevin Brophy
