TeenREAD: Solace

March 2nd, 2010 · No Comments

Recommended by Childrens Books Ireland (14yrs+)

SOLACE OF THE ROAD by SIOBHAN DOWD

We first meet 15-year-old Holly Hogan/Solace as she stows away on a ferry bound for Ireland. This is a story of childhood neglect and cruelty, incarceration,
institutional care and foster care. Love and friendship are always transitory and unstable for Solace. She is filled with rage at her treatment, rage against the adult world. The journey is well told and tightly plotted. One of Dowd’s strengths as a writer is her plot mastery. This is a gripping, well-written and truthful book.