The Impossible Fortress

Score: 9/10

When you’re 14, the world seems enormous and choking all at once, the big “one day” plans far more interesting than your current maths class or boring neighbourhood. For Billy, school is a time to be thinking over his next bit of computer programming script, not work, and time at home means programming a strip poker game and hanging out with his best friends Clark and Alf. The guys decide to steal a Playboy magazine from a local shop, and the tale from there is epic – double crosses, castles, single mothers, evil principals, furious guard dogs, princesses in various requirements of saving, and a determined band of thieving heroes.

I cannot remember the last time a book tackled me back to my teens, threw off the years, dug up memories and rode off on its bike laughing. The Impossible Fortress absolutely delighted me, sucked me in from the first page and didn’t let go until I was breathless and checking my face for zits I was so firmly feeling in the 1980s. It’s an incredible ride; clever, honest, unflinching and emotive, perfectly capturing the frets and frisson of being a teen still at home and hungry for the world.

This was the second book I read in 2017, and I can tell that there’ll have to be an astonishingly brilliant story to knock The Impossible Fortress from my “Best of 2017” lists this year.
Rated: PG-13 – discussion of sex, physical intimacy, violence and themes of personal responsibility, real-life repercussions, peer pressure, friendships and developing relationships.

Literary/wordcraft discussion: The dialogue was whip fast, witty and a delight to read. The characters were well-developed, with human frailties and no stereotypical short cuts (the principal could be seen as overblown, but I’ve known principals like that so I call it believable and move on). The use of hand-drawn maps at points during the story was excellent, as was the programming code at the beginning of each chapter – I didn’t understand it but it added sinews and sweat to the shape and movement of the story. Dialogue and development was organic, deftly woven into the story so that exposition wasn’t necessary, as you felt you knew the guys, their in-jokes and nuances – which then meant that when they were surprised, you were too. The surprises were absolutely unexpected – I’d have to reread the book to identify any foreshadowing, but there was nothing heavy handed about the twists (I certainly didn’t see them coming, and they packed a punch when they landed).

Recommended to:
• Anyone who hopes their mother never knew everything they were getting up to as a 14-year-old
• Those who would like to remember their teens again, zits, crushes, frustrations and all
• Teenagers (all those I'm related to will get this book as a gift from me asap!)

Not recommended for:
• Anyone allergic to laughter
• Those still mortified by previous embarrassments
• Readers who think teens don’t think about sex (hint: you're 179008% wrong)