Ooooh! Yet another new release for 2014. This time from Irene Sabatini, author of The Boy Next Door (which won the Orange Prize for New Writers in 2010). Peace and Conflict, her second novel, is published by Constable & Robinson and will be out on the 6th of November. Here's a synopsis via Constable & Robinson: This is the story of a young boy's adventures as he takes it upon himself to solve the mystery of an 'evil' old neighbor in Geneva, and a missing auntie in Zimbabwe. Charming, funny and resonant, this is a novel about how one boy comes to understand what conflict can do to a person, a family, a whole country - and what it means to fight for peace.
This is the story of a hero.
Ten-year-old Robert knows many things. He knows all about his hometown, Geneva, with its statues and cannons and underground tunnels and the Longest Bench in the World. He knows about the Red Cross and all the places his dad has been on his missions. He knows that his mom is writing a book about vampires and how long his older brother spends practicing his 'swag' poses in front of the mirror. He knows all about animals, too, because his Auntie Delphia is a vet in Zimbabwe.
But still he has questions. Is his neighbour, Monsieur Renoir, really evil? Why did he leave a Victoria Cross medal on Robert's doorstep? And why has Auntie Delphia disappeared? In the 'Peace and Conflict' unit in school, Robert learned all about wars and heroes. But as the lives of his friends, foes and family unfold, he discovers what it really means to be a hero . . .
