![]() ![]() This obsesses him, so now, aged 18, he often sacrifices himself to luck – by tossing a coin and promising to do whatever the coin says, however dangerous. ![]() Although it wasn’t his fault, he can’t help thinking about how easily she might not have died. ![]() He was very unlucky as a young child – his mother died twice, by horribly bad luck, which wouldn’t have happened if Jack hadn’t been there. Jack is obsessed by luck, risk and chance. Jess loves her mother – an artist, floaty, flighty, dippy, fragile – but wishes she could be stronger. Jess’s mother is becoming an alcoholic and Jess is worried – Jess’s father left years ago and she knows that her mother is terrified about Jess leaving home. They are strong, clever, and very ready to leave school and fly out into the world – and in fact, they will both finish school in two weeks. ![]() They meet by chance (and you see exactly how those chances coincide to create a meeting that easily might not have happened) and fancy each other immediately. Jess is gorgeous – amazing half-Italian-half-Norwegian eyes and skin, and Jack is one of those trendy musical types with a clever hair-style and poetic eyes. They are brilliant at music – Jack has a band and Jess joins it as the singer. Finally, it is you who must take the risk and toss a coin to determine the ending. In WASTED, you see alternative possibilities unfold and disappear as the lives of Jack and Jess spin out of control. If she doesn’t get in, Jess’s friends will see what happens and save her. If she gets in, she’ll distract Jess’s friends and they won’t see the drink being spiked. He might be distracted or annoyed: such small things will make all the difference. Another girl is outside, trying to get past the bouncer, who may or may not let her in. An enemy, Kelly, waits her moment to spike Jess’s drink. Here’s an example: Imagine the scene: Jack and Jess in a club, eyes only for each other. When I was writing it, I tossed a coin to “choose” which scene to go with. In the end, it is the reader who must choose whether to spin that coin and determine: life or death.Ī couple of times during the book, we see alternative scenarios unfold. An evening of heady recklessness, and suddenly a life hangs in the balance, decided by the toss of a coin. As chance and choice unravel, the risks of Jack’s game become terrifyingly clear. But Jack’s luck is running out, and soon the stakes are high. Luck brings him Jess, a beautiful singer who will change his life. No risk is too great if the coin demands it. Jack worships luck and decides his actions by the flip of a coin. Wasted is about luck, chance, risk, fate, danger, passion, hate, alcohol, music, and why leaving the house a few seconds later could change your life. There is so much behind the book that I set up the special blog to discuss ALL the themes. It makes your mind boggle! It was gripping and also slightly eerie, what with Kelly and her gang and the knives and the fortune-teller, Farantella. My favourite comment, from Isla, 14: “I have never read anything like it before. Piece in the Scotsman about the Scottish Children’s Book Award. Wasted was longlisted for the Carnegie Medal winner of the Scottish Children’s Book Award (older readers) winner of the Coventry “Read it or Else” award winner of the RED award runner-up and Highly Commended in the North East Book Award shortlisted for the Manchester, Grampian, Angus, Southern Schools, Stockport and Salford awards. ![]()
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