Sally Grindley,
Broken Glass
Bloomsbury, 2008.

Ages 10-14

The lives of two brothers, Suresh, aged 12, and Sandeep, 9, are turned upside down when their father is made redundant from his job with the Indian Railways. Hurt and confused by their father's change in character, Suresh, the book's narrator, decides that he and Sandeep must leave the security of their home to look for work in a big, unnamed city.

The harsh reality of being homeless and moneyless in a large city is very far from Suresh's plans. He can read and write but he has no fixed address and it is very hard to look clean and presentable. It is only through the kindness of another street kid, Vikas, that they find any subsistence at all; and although collecting broken pieces of glass to wash and then sell to an unscrupulous dealer at first seems to be the worst job in the world - but it is a job and it is better than starving - just...

Through Suresh's eyes, Sally Grindley paints a vivid picture of life as a street kid in an Indian city - the hardships, the rivalries and the squalor, but also the camaraderie, the kindnesses and the moments of fun and enjoyment, when the boys can enjoy the relief of forgetting to worry for a few brief moments. For Suresh, these moments are indeed brief. The responsibility of looking after Sandeep is a much heavier burden than he had realised and there are some terrifying moments, which in the end bring the story to its climax.

Grindley writes convincingly in the voice of a boy who is forced to grow up too quickly. We empathise with Suresh's worries, anger and resentment; and we share in his ups and downs. As well as bringing to life the sights, sounds and smells of life on the streets of an Indian city, Broken Glass makes readers examine their own preconceptions and consciences: when we arrive at the fork in the road of deciding between right and wrong, what would we do in these circumstances? Grindley demonstrates that we always have choices in our lives; sometimes they are difficult, sometimes we make the wrong decision - but we then have to work through the consequences of our choices. This is a powerful roller-coaster of a read: shocking, funny and heart-warming by turns.

Marjorie Coughlan
July 2008