Review: Shotgun justice only takes you so far
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 11, 2012
I hesitate to label Chuck's Wendig's first Atlanta Burns novella as `young adult', despite its trappings: tough young protagonist struggling with painful relationships, recent traumas and how her place in the world has changed. The uncompromising harshness of its characters, their language and their situations is confronting and sometimes harrowing, and Wendig holds nothing back in putting his characters through emotional and physical wringers. It's a brutal story about violence and the consequences of escalation. Sensitive readers - and I didn't think I was one - can expect to lose a little sleep over this one.Atlanta Burns is an angry, traumatised teenager who returns to school having learned the very unfortunate lesson that there are some acts of extreme violence that society is prepared to forgive. She just wants to coast through and be left alone, but she finds she can't stand by and let a schoolmate be bullied. Trouble is, when she stands up for herself, she doesn't back down, she goes over the top. One thing leads to another. It gets nasty. Drug dealers, neo-Nazi garage bands, vicious preppies, gun nuts. Atlanta gives them all good cause to tear strips off her hide.'Shotgun Gravy' is a quick yarn, told with energy, confidence and authenticity. It goes to some dark and violent places - well, it's mostly set in high school, after all. Its star is troubled, bigoted and generally unlikeable, but Atlanta Burns compels respect and sympathy. You're never tempted to side against her, not with the petty, vicious arseholes she sets herself against. 'Shotgun Gravy' is the first in a proposed series of Atlanta Burns novellas. The next one can't come soon enough for me.