Infinite Sky by C.J. Flood - out now!

C.J. Flood - or, as we know her, Chelsey Flood - has her first book out with Simon and Schuster. 'Infinite Sky' has attracted considerable interest in the trade and we're very proud that another ABCtaler is doing so well.

Here are reviews from Sunday's Child (the winner of our Ininite Sky comp) and tcook:

SUNDAY'S CHILD WRITES:

When I realised this (very pretty!) book was a coming-of-age story, I was really excited because when done well, I find it can be a very powerful subject matter.

I really enjoyed Infinite Sky- it is a solid, poignant and bitter-sweet account of a young girl's coming-of age journey one Summer; the plot revolving around the fact that Gypsies have taken up residence on the land near to her family's home, and the varying loyalties and emotions that then exist as a consequence of differing views and feelings on the situation.

I won't give too much away, but it is an extremely successful plot, building tension in a realistic manner and keeping you hooked through out. The voice of the main protagonist, 13 year old Iris feels very authentic- I adored her quirky, intriguing character and her many mature, profound, deeply entertaining observations that pepper this book throughout. The loving but dysfunctional family that Iris comes from is believable and compelling- I found the relationship between Iris and her brother to be particularly effective- there is a simplicity within this book that works very well, a lot of things are left unsaid but are hinted at instead and I really appreciate writing that does that.

There are some sentences within this book that will stay with me for a very, very long time. The descriptive parts are really quite stunning, and the dialogue is fairly punchy, and easy to get involved in. Perhaps at times, towards the latter part of the book, some sentences felt just a tiny bit too short and staccato to me- but overall it flows very well. The last four lines are dynamite- the ending of a book is very important to me and this author nails it.

I would recommend this book to anyone, no matter what their age, who enjoys a cleverly crafted, thought provoking read. Some books take you on a very worthwhile voyage and I would say that C.J Flood achieves that, and more, under her Infinite Sky.

TONY COOK WRITES:

I’ve been looking forward to Chelsey’s (or C.J.’s as we must call her now) first novel enormously. I know she can write – but can she sustain it for a full novel? To be frank, the set-up disappointed. Oh dear, I thought, here we have 13 year old Iris whose hippy mother has gone off travelling, left alone with feckless father and older brother Sam in the depths of the Derbyshire countryside when along comes a bunch of gypsies and set up camp in their paddock. 14 year old invader Trick soons pricks her interest and we follow them into the wheat fields where they lie back in their hidden den.

I know what’s coming next, I think, and I’m not enamoured. The characters are good and the writing is, of course, beautiful but the plot is all set up to fall limp. How wrong can you be? ‘Infinite Sky’ gets darker and darker. It took me three nights of 20 minute reads to get to the turn – and then I found myself sat bolt upright in bed until 3 a.m. to see what happens. That doesn’t often happen to me these days.

‘Infinite Sky’ is, I’m glad to say, a gem. It’s a coming of age novel that really deals with issues of young love, abandonment, racism and violence. It is utterly believable and the central characters of Iris, Trick and brother Sam are delicately and knowingly portrayed. The plot bowls along at speed, never missing a beat and the book has stayed with me, prompting me to go back and re-read sections, ever since.

I know what I’ll be buying my friends and relations for their birthdays this year. I suggest you go out and get yourself a copy just as soon as you can.