Kirkus Review
Troubled teen relationships weave around each other in this British import.Claudette lives in a dying seaside town, dotted with boarded-up shops and once-grand houses turned to dilapidated squats. The white girl has just been released from inpatient psychiatric care after a bipolar episode at school, and her doctor has told her to come up with "small goals you can easily achieve, and a large goal to work towards." Her goal is to "find Sarah Banks," a local girl with a troubled past who has disappeared under mysterious circumstances. The story meanders, touching on Claudette's loving but contentious relationship with her father's girlfriend, an unlikely friendship with the neighborhood crank, and an assortment of boys ranging from wholesome to despicable. Numerous flashbacks show more of Claudette's history with the missing girl, but these never quite achieve an emotional urgency. Far more compelling is Claudette's exploration of and recovery from mental illness, set against the bleak landscape of her hometown, which is also when the most beautiful writing shines through. The time spent on less-compelling side characters and plot threads detracts from these moments, making for an uneven reading experience. This ambitious novel plods at times and pirouettes at others, like the angst-y readers who are the most likely to enjoy it. (Fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
In his second YA novel, Crow (In Bloom, 2013) tells the story of 16-year-old Claudette in the weeks following her return home from the hospital, where she was staying after struggling through a spiraling episode of depression. As if trying to get back to normal isn't hard enough, a young girl named Sarah has gone missing, and Claudette just might know what happened to her. When Sarah's body is eventually found, Claudette's world begins to unravel again, certain discoveries leading her toward another possible descent into self-destruction. As her family and close friends try to dissuade her from getting in too deep, Claudette comes up with a dangerous plan to finally get Sarah's killer behind bars. The plot meanders at times, and the ending is less than surprising, but the overall narrative effectively explores depression, loss, and recovery in gritty detail. Bringing together emotional depth, melancholy, and lighthearted humor, Crow gradually reveals the complicated relationship between Claudette and the complex world around her.--Bittner, Rob Copyright 2017 Booklist
