The Edge

'We've got to go. Now.' It's early morning and Danny's mother is at his bedside, urging him to get up. They're on the run from Chris, his mother's boyfriend, a violent man who beats them both up, and won't let them go. Chris pursues Danny and his mother from London to the north, where they take refuge with Danny's grandparents. But even there, nothing is safe. Danny is conspicuous as the only mixed-race boy in their small community, and with the ever-present threat of discovery, he has to learn how to live continually on the edge. A tense and chilling story to which the chase gives terrific drama, The Edge shows the depth of character, and the understanding of the predicaments of children today, that gives Alan Gibbons his special quality. Read by Malcolm Freeman and Lucy Akhurst (P)2004 Orion Publishing Group. Ltd