Book review - English: The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

Author: Kevin Brooks

Country: United Kingdom

Genre: Young adult, Psychological Thriller

Published: 2013, by Penguin Books

Pages: 272

Awards: Carnegie Medal, 2014

Plot:

Linus, a 16 years old teenager, wakes up in a lift outside which he founds an apartment made of six single bedrooms a kitchen and one bathroom. At the time, he is alone but during the course of two weeks he is joined by four other adults: a heroin addict, a management consultant, an estate agent, a professional philosopher dying of cancer and a nine year old girl who have all been kidnapped by a mysterious man they know nothing about. The apartment, or as it later discovered, the “bunker”, has no windows or exit doors the only thing connected to the outside world is a lift that their kidnapper uses to send them the things they need to survive or to punish them without ever being seen by the prisoners. All around the bunker there are cameras and microphones through which the kidnapper can observe everything that happens in the bunker. The book, written as Linus’ diary narrates the cohabitation of the prisoners, their attempts to survive, their multiple attempts to escape that end up in gruesome punishments by “The Man Upstairs” as the situation starts falling apart becoming unbearable for the prisoners.

Comment:

I absolutely loved this book. I started reading this book at 1 am on night during which I couldn’t sleep hoping to read a few pages and then finally fall asleep. Well that didn’t happen, I ended up staying wide awake until 3.30 in the morning to finish this book and when I finally did I spent 10 minutes staring at the ceiling because I could not recover from the end of the book that was just perfect yet it left me in complete shock because, after all, hope dies last…

The book was chilling, raw, claustrophobic at times but it made feel exactly as if I was in the bunker with Linus, trying to figure out a way to escape. If you like books that answer to all of your question throughout the course of the story then this book is most likely not for you, since at the end of the book you are left with probably knowing just as much as you did when you started it and I believe this is one of the things that make this book so good.

The atmosphere was mysterious and as the conditions of living worsen the reader becomes more and more involved in the story and is able to perceive the emotions and the struggles the prisoners have to face. The way in which the story is told is incredibly realistic from Linus’ description of his dreams, his thoughts and memories to his delusional writing as he and the other prisoners are fighting the narcotics that have been gassed in the bunker to punish them for their rebellious acts. The story happens very fast because it is so intense that as the situation becomes worse the reader almost doesn’t acknowledge how fast the story came to its end.

The man who is behind the kidnapping is a merciless, invisible enemy that is impossible to fight. He is in control of everything in the bunker and enjoys himself putting the prisoners through psychotic games, starving them for days, electrocuting and gassing them when they try to rebel all while watching them through the cameras that are set even in the bathroom. At the same times the prisoners struggle with their cohabitation as they have little or no compassion for the others and most of them seem to care only about themselves, they fall into mutual suspicion and conflicts that often escalate in violence. Six prisoners who work together, fight, kill and care for each other.

If you are looking for a relaxing book than this is not for you but if you want to read an intense and emotional story or you are simply passionate about the genre don’t miss this book, it’s really worth a try, plus it’s short and fast to read. Once you’re done reading it, it will probably leave you thinking about the story for a while.

My rating: 4 out of 5 ★

You can order the English version here

P. S. I think that this book is most suitable for people over 16 years old because of the violence and the contents of the book that can be very shocking at times.

Let me know what you think about it in the comments!

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