The Truants sounded right up my street with a cast of non-conforming rebel students, but I must admit that I was astounded to find this is Weinberg's debut novel as it's such an accomplished, original book. It revolves around main protagonist, Jess, and her current feelings of being the centre of attention when she has only ever blended into crowds seamlessly to become anonymous. Campus novels don't usually work out well for me as I'm not such a big fan but this had everything associated with the subgenre but with more tension and the suspenseful atmosphere Weinberg creates is clearly a rare and raw talent.

The Truants by Kate Weinberg | Goodreads The Truants by Kate Weinberg | Goodreads

For some reason, I found myself thinking about the view of the golf course out of the bay windows at Milton View. How I’d stared at it for eighteen years, yearning for a bigger world to live in, thinking I could find it through books, clawing at make-believe in the hope I’d draw blood. Dear God, I thought with a sudden shiver. Was this the “real world” I’d been trying to find? There is a group on Goodreads devoted to discussing books like Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. Some of us are so taken with the species that we have even written our own novels in imitation. Basically the plot unfolds in a school or university setting with a small group of student acolytes forming a cult surrounding a charismatic teacher. In the original it’s Julian, the professor of Greek. The students not only study Greek literature, they live it; in TSH it’s Euripides Bacchae, most appropriate on a drug-fuelled campus. Invariably betrayal and death follow. The concept sounded just right. Young people trying to find themselves in each other. The book is told from Jess's point of view. There is the usual mix of campus stuff going on but some of it was not what I expected. The book is well written. The characters are messy. I did like this book but I also found myself wanting more. I will read more from this author in future. Forget about solving all these crimes; the signal triumph here is (spoiler) the heroine’s survival.During previous such sweeps as many as 10,000 children have been stopped over a three-week period. However it has been found that over half of the children stopped were accompanied by an adult. This raised concerns around the responsibility of parents in ensuring higher levels of school attendance. Rod has now learned how to get people to commit irrevocably to things they might later regret, and so the scene moves to a similar room in a very different place. It’s Durban, South Africa, June 20 2009, the early hours of the morning before the first Lions Test there. Rod lines up Messrs Hole, Moore, Cooney and Allen, who, after a long day and night in the bars, agree to everything he says, and then, crucially, clink his glass. A fine start to a recruiting drive that continues at Rosslyn Park Rugby Club and then in bar after bar, after drink upon drink, in country after country, as one by one the glasses are clinked and the unbreakable deal is made and another stalwart is added to the cause. And somewhere along the line Rod remembers the Just William books of his youth and conjures a name and brand that add the bit of magic such things do.

truant in a sentence | Sentence examples by Cambridge Dictionary

To be a Truant you have to be invited and approved by the Truant Committee, have your glass clinked and pay your own way and complete at least one full Truant Ride, or be carried off disabled or worse. There is no application process. There are currently 81 Truants and once a Truant always a Truant, and to be fined accordingly. However as the rides are limited to a maximum of 60 any Truant who misses three consecutive rides has to re-apply with any Rookies if they wish to ride again, if space is available. There are no age rules, however the average is generally middle and while there are no weight rules the average is heavier than you’d expect. Indeed the Mexico ride might have been the heaviest bike ride per capita there ever was. In addition to plot and character, Weinberg is adept at place. Her descriptions of the British university, small towns in the countryside and especially the remote Italian island are captivating. Like Christie, she seems to know the value of placing unpredictable characters in exotic settings…. The Truantsgathers momentum and finishes with several climactic moments that even veteran mystery lovers probably won’t see coming.”A deeply affecting, artfully written, and entirely gripping story...The novel combines the best elements of a crime thriller, a campus novel, a love story and a psychological study. It is always beautifully and surprisingly written, has a perfect sense of plot, and is consistently clever. Weinberg is a major talent. Reading The Truants changes Jess's life. Why do you think The Truants speaks to Jess so powerfully? Is there a book you read when you were a teenager that changed you? What about as an adult? Most of the novel is set close to home for any Suffolk readers, and so I hope they will notice some landmarks! In particular a scene amidst the pines at Thetford, which inspired the brilliant cover artist with the book's beautiful cover.