The Dare, by Irish author John Boyne, is written from the perspective of a young boy who has to deal with the impact of a heart-wrenching accident. Boyne, who has produced other works, such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, appeals in The Dare to a young teenage audience, with mixed results.
This story follows a 12 year old boy called Danny who is gleeful to leave the school year behind and enjoy his Summer holiday. But of course disaster strikes in the form of a terrible car accident involving his mother who collided with a young boy. This event tears his family apart, while his brother, with whom he is close, is away on a European holiday and relationships with peers become difficult.
As a reader we are not aware of the fate of the young boy who was struck, which allows there to be a constant tension
As a reader we are not aware of the fate of the young boy who was struck, which allows there to be a constant tension. Danny’s life is dotted with several social upsets and mishaps but these pale in comparison to the over-arching plot hanging above his head, and which seems to have an ever-lasting lack of closure. This assists in engrossing the reader in the narrative as the fate of the young boy plays on our mind while we follow along with Danny as he navigates the difficulties of the situation.
However, some of these issues and characters as a whole came across as quite shallow in a sense. This effect is just amplified by the ending of this novel. The book is approximately one-hundred short pages long, and it is impressive that Boyne succeeded in fitting a well-crafted and engaging story within those limitations. However, this severely impacts the closing chapters of the book which should provide the climax to the plot that was built over the chapters, but which instead amounts to an underwhelming conclusion that ticks the boxes in tying the typical knots whilst finding the space for what is practically an advert for a sequel, by creating a painfully superficial social issue that wasn’t given the time it deserved to subtly develop as a sub plot.
The Dare touches off topics such as family conflict, separation and divorce, physical abuse, and mental health
In the past, there has been a lack of books for young teens that deal with real life issues. John Boyne bravely stepped up to fill the void by producing a book for kids this age that tackled difficult problems head on. The Dare touches off topics such as family conflict, separation and divorce, physical abuse, and mental health. While this is admirable, I think it may have perhaps hampered the narrative itself which feels hastily crammed into one-hundred pages and onto store shelves.
Although I have my gripes with The Dare and many of them at that, there is plenty of value to be found in this novel, even if it just lasts for a weekend and it fits its target demographic of pre-teenagers well. So if you are searching for something to fill your time, or perhaps need the convenience of a shorter read, The Dare is definitely worth a look.