How well do you know the people you love…?Best friends Noah Sadler and Abdi Mahad have always been inseparable. But when Noah is found floating unconscious in Bristol’s Feeder Canal, Abdi can’t–or won’t–tell anyone what happened.Just back from a mandatory leave following his last case, Detective Jim Clemo is now assigned to look into this unfortunate accident. But tragedy strikes and what … tragedy strikes and what looked like the simple case of a prank gone wrong soon ignites into a public battle. Noah is British. Abdi is a Somali refugee. And social tensions have been rising rapidly in Bristol. Against this background of fear and fury two families fight for their sons and for the truth. Neither of them know how far they will have to go, what demons they will have to face, what pain they will have to suffer.
Because the truth hurts.
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Many of us have Bucket Lists … but a teen-age boy with terminal cancer and only one friend makes this book a page-turner. Their different ethnic and social backgrounds add to the tension. Both mothers will do anything to protect their sons in a city where emotional needs too often get overlooked in a busy, sometimes harsh world.
This is the second book I’ve read by Gilly McMillan and I’ve enjoyed them both immensely. Will definitely be reading more.
This author always grabs my attention with twisted plots and excellent writing.
Very good read. The characters are exquisitely formed. Tragedy infused with hope. Highly recommend
Haunting…
Favorite Quotes:
I felt like a mongrel dog, compared to them. Unwanted, strange-looking, and kicked so many times I didn’t know how to do anything apart from cower.
Noah’s Bucket List Item No. 12: Be cremated. I can’t stand the thought of being buried. I want to be turned into smoke and air so I can be everywhere all at once.
My Review:
Odd Child Out was my first experience with both the complex and guarded DI Jim Clemo and his talented creator Gilly Macmillan, I want to make a habit of this pair. Besides being topical and relevant, the storyline was well-crafted and of the stealthy variety as it developed slowly yet steadily in intriguing increments that I eagerly gathered like breadcrumbs. There was a wide array of intriguing and mysterious characters as well as a vast assortment of oddly shaped puzzle pieces to make sense of, yet and none of them seemed to match up. The characters were slowly fleshed out with several being ultimately revealed to be less than admirable than I had first assumed, as well as the opposite. My interest was snagged quickly and my attention never flagged as I unwound this delicately complicated plot that occurred over the period of a week, yet went several layers deep and across fifteen years and a different continent to expose a fiercely guarded and devastating secret.
i hope there are more detective clemo books
I really enjoyed the diversity of the characters and their relationships. It held my interest from beginning to end.
Not a traditional mystery- interesting characters and plot line
I did enjoy this book. I gave it a 4 star because I felt like it was drawn out some. I figured out the ending also. I would still recommend this book.
There were extra parts that had nothing to do with the plot.
Read it less than 2 weeks ago and can’t remember it. Which means it was enjoyable enough to keep me reading but not memorable.
The second book in Gilly Macmillan’s excellent DI Jim Clemo series finds Jim back in similar circumstances from the first–working against time to save a child. Jim has returned from leave after the Ben Finch case, and he’s ready to redeem himself in the eyes DCI Fraser and his peers. He’s assigned what looks to be a terrible accident: best pals Noah Sadler and Abdi Mahad are out late one evening when teenage Noah falls into a local canal, rendering him unconscious. Abdi refuses to speak about what happened, leaving the families (and police) to ponder what really occurred that evening. Complicating matters is the fact that Noah is already ill from cancer; plus Noah is British, while Abdi and his family are Somalian refugees, so Jim fears how this case will be presented in the press. By most accounts, Noah and Abdi are best friends, so what truly went down night?
This is another gorgeous gem of a novel by Macmillan, who offers yet one more beautifully-written mystery combined with lovely, perfectly drawn characters. This book touched me in so many ways, and I just cannot keep raving enough about how well this author writes, or how she so excellently embodies her characters. Again, this is no straightforward mystery, or simple fiction, but a wonderful combination of the two.
For me, this book really hit from home the beginning, as Jim mentions how an anti-immigration march by a neo-Nazi group has rocked Bristol, wrecking havoc on the police force, as well as emotions in the area. It’s clear that racial tensions are high. As someone who was born in Charlottesville, VA, and lived in the suburbs of the area for the last nearly ten years, I felt this in my heart all too well. The backdrop of race stretches across the fabric of Macmillan’s entire novel, and it’s quite well done, in my opinion.
On one end, we have the Sadler family–well-off and British: Noah attends a posh private school, Fiona manages Noah and Noah’s illness, and Ed is a photographer–often of refugees. In fact, we learn that he’s even photographed the very camp where Abdi’s parents and sister lived. The Sadler’s life, however, is clouded by the tragedy of Noah’s cancer, which has basically formed each family member into who they are today.
As for the Mahads, we see how their past experiences has created them, as well. One of the strengths of this book is that we get small portions of narration from all of characters: the Sadlers, the Mahads, and Jim. The bits and pieces you learn of the Mahad’s origins–my goodness: it will break your heart. Macmillan captures the fear of the family because they are different due to the color of their skin and the country of their origin, yet you see their strength and pride shine across as well.
The main storyline of ODD CHILD OUT revolves around figuring out exactly what happened between the boys and how Noah ended up in the water. As mentioned, you get snippets from each character, as we slowly work up to that point of no return. We also get flashbacks to various pieces of earlier parts of their lives, and we start to realize that something has spooked the Mahad family–something is not as it seems. It’s not your conventional mystery, per se, but it’s compelling and certainly intriguing.
At its core, this is a heartbreaking book whose strength lies in its characters. It’s a wonderful exploration on race and immigration and how difficult it is to be deemed “different” by our society. What I loved about this book, though, is that you could also wonder: is either family truly all that different at its core? Every parent will go to any length to protect their child, after all. I highly recommend picking this one up. It can be read as a stand-alone, but if you want more insight into Jim and his mindset, you should definitely read the first book, What She Knew, which is also excellent (my review here). I can’t wait to see what Macmillan comes up with next! 4+ stars.
More at https://justacatandabookatherside.blogspot.com/
I won an ARC of this book from William Morrow. Following is my review:
To be honest, I was all over the place with this book. For the most part, I guess that’s a really good thing to say. The story centers around Noah, a 15 year old boy with terminal cancer, and his friend Abdi, a Somalian refugee. Late one evening, an urgent call is made for help because Noah is found floating in Feeder Canal. His condition is critical and the only person who knows for sure what happened is Abdi. When Abdi is questioned, he appears to be in a state of shock and is unable (or refusing?) to talk. Did Abdi push Noah into the canal? Does race play an integral part as to what lies behind the incident? How well can you really know a person?
I’ll admit this was a difficult story to read because it’s heartbreaking on so many levels. No child should have to endure the trials and tribulations of cancer. On the same note, no child should have to learn to survive in war torn countries and figure out ways to thrive in refugee camps. Unfortunately, it’s a harsh reality in the world today and it’s a story that needs to be told.
Odd Child Out does more than tell a story though. It touches upon some of the most critical issues facing societies today. While things like fear and frustration caused by strained race relations, the ability of law enforcement to do their job properly, and how media influences public opinion and the repercussions “getting the story” can have play a backdrop to the overall story, they can’t be overlooked in their importance.
While it was difficult for me to find the character depth I crave, I was able to understand the characters. I wanted to dislike Fiona, Noah’s mum. I wanted to do so because she seemed cold and distant. Upon reflection, I can’t imagine how grueling a life with a sick child must be. Medications, treatments, hospitals, and the constant fear of death must loom large in life on a daily basis. Fiona seemed to put up a protective shield while her husband Ed seemed to distance himself from the situation as a method of self-preservation. His ability to flee in tough times made me feel dislike towards him as well. How can I judge his actions though? Truth be told, until we walk in someone else’s shoes, we will truly never know their struggle.
There were two things that bothered me while reading this book. The first was the continual referral to the prior book. I read the first book in the series and remember it vaguely but I certainly don’t recall all the details. I wish Macmillan would have given the reader more of a reminder of the past (rather than assuming the reader recalls it) when it came to the situation between Detective Jim Clemo and Emma Zhang. There is obviously tension between them and it plays somewhat of a role in the story so it would have been great to know the exact problem. The second thing that bothered me bit was the appearance of Clemo’s sister Becky. It didn’t seem too relevant to the novel unless Macmillan was maybe pointing out the cycle of abuse that often occurs in families.
Overall though, I would definitely recommend this book and suggest you grab some tissues for your reading journey.