Review of The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks

Format: Paperback
Genres: Mystery, Horror,
Pages: 268
Publisher: Penguin
Release Date: 07/03/2013
Find The Author: Website

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Room meets Lord of the Flies, The Bunker Diary is award-winning, young adult writer Kevin Brooks's pulse-pounding exploration of what happens when your worst nightmare comes true - and how will you survive?

I can't believe I fell for it.
It was still dark when I woke up this morning.
As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was.
A low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete.
There are six little rooms along the main corridor.
There are no windows. No doors. The lift is the only way in or out.
What's he going to do to me?
What am I going to do?
If I'm right, the lift will come down in five minutes.
It did. Only this time it wasn't empty...

This is a strange, claustrophobic tale told from the point of view of Linus, the first resident of the bunker. He quickly notes that there's a communal area next to a kitchen, six bedrooms and a bathroom. Then there's the lift. The bunker is quickly filled with six residents, from the youngest, Jenny, who's nine to Russell, who's described as nearly seventy by Linus. As a lover of films like Saw and Cube, this story really appealed to me.

The characters are an eclectic bunch, seemingly picked out at random by someone Linus describes as Him. A nine year old, a homeless boy with a rich background, a woman in her late twenties that sells property, a herion addict, an management consulant and a natural philosopher. I found it interesting that no two people were alike, and I think that's why they were chosen.

The person that kidnapped them was the most interesting character in this. He's quickly referred to as Him or He, with a capital, like God is in the Bible. His motives are unclear, there's cameras installed in every room that are unbreakable and have their own defense mechanisms, so my guess is that he's curious, wants to find out what will happen.

The Bunker Diary took 10 years of battling to get it printed and I can see why. This book touches on a lot of issues that some parents would not want their children to read - drugs, violence, suicide, murder. I was surprised to find that there was no warning on this book as to what lay inside, as there's even warnings for swearing on books now. I'm not sure I would recommend it for children younger than thirteen, but that depends on the child. For parents, I would recommend reading this book first to decide. I'm not for censoring but this book is brutal and not for everyone.