Face (novel)
| FaceThis is a story about Martin. He's the leader of the Gang of Three, and the classroom joker. He lives in the 'new East End' where there is a difficult brew of white, Caribbean, African and Asian families. You have to be careful what you say and who you say it to on the streets of Martin's neighbourhood - not that Martin is particularly racist:
'I ain't got nothing against blacks, they're just different, they dance different and everything.' So it is rather to Martin's surprise, that he finds himself having a great time at a rap club. Leaving the club later, Martin is offered a ride home by someone he knows vaguely from school. He doesn't know the car is stolen though, and it isn't a ride home, it's a ride to self-destruction. In the inevitable accident Martin suffers terrible burns to his face. Can you imagine waking up in a hospital, and not even knowing for sure whether you have still got all your limbs? As Martin slowly comes to consciousness he checks, one by one. Everything seems to be pretty well OK. His face is the last thing he bothers to think about. He can't really feel the damage, you see, because of the painkillers. Martin has a lot of thinking to do, and in his hospital room he has the time and space to do it. Obviously, he has to come to terms with his new and damaged face. Not only that, all his friends have to come to terms with his new face. Also, Martin has to learn to deal with all the different reactions of ordinary people to his terrible injuries. It's all a bit different being on the receiving end of other people's prejudices, about disabilities, or race, or anything else. Benjamin Zephaniah is a black poet and writer himself, so perhaps he has made Martin white so that the message about prejudice can be well learnt. Written in very simple language, Zephaniah brings the streets to life - I especially like the scene where Natalie misinterprets the three girls' smiles and gets ready for a fight, only to be asked if she likes clubbing. You can warm to these characters, for all their faults. | |
|---|---|
| Author | Benjamin Zephaniah |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury USA Children's Books |
| ISBN | 1-58234-774-3 |
Face by British-Jamaican author and poet Benjamin Zephaniah is a novel published in 1999 about a teenage boy who suffers facial injuries in a joyriding accident. Face has also been adapted as a stage play.[1]
Plot summary
Mark, Matthew and Martin are best friends, the Gang of Three. The 3 boys are quite cheeky and like stirring up trouble in school. Summer holidays are around the corner and the Gang of Three deicide to go out with Martin's girlfriend Natalie. The boys go pick Natalie up and go to a rap club. When they all leave they take Natalie home. The boys are offered a ride home from a kid who used to go to their school, but got expelled. Pete offered to take them home. Martin and Mark go while Matthew has a bad feeling about it so walks off. Pete's friend drives the car in a dangerous manner and crashes the car. The driver was hardly injured, Mark cracked a few ribs and Pete was killed after going through the wind shield. In hospital and barely able to move Martin's face has been completely changed and is about to undergo cosmetic surgery. Just before he goes for the surgery his friends come to pay him a visit. Martin has fears that he will not be accepted in to the group again. But will he?
Reception
Critical reception for Face has been mixed to positive, with Booklist saying "Martin's personal growth may lack literary finesse, but his struggle to overcome adversity will still involve some readers."[2] Publishers Weekly praised the book's message but remarked that the plot was "somewhat formulaic".[3]
References
- ↑ FACE by Benjamin Zephaniah (The Play) TES
- ↑ Booklist Review: Face Booklist
- ↑ Children's review: Face Publishers Weekly