Alan Gibbons,
Caught in the Crossfire
Orion, 2003.
ISBN: 1 84255 096 9

Oakfield is a town in the north of England with white and Asian ghettos. The Patriotic Party wants a 'Whites only' England, the strategy being to increase divisions to full race war, so that living together is made impossible. On different sides of the line are the Khans and the Kellys. In the growing tension, Liam Kelly finds fulfilment in the Patriotic Party while Tahir Khan believes all whites are racist. When their siblings Rabir Khan and Mike Kelly begin dating, it is difficult to find anywhere to go without meeting hostility from one side or the other. Serious themes indeed, in a story well told, giving much to think about as the stones begin to fly. The book is pacey and written in short episodes. I would have liked more description of people and places but what it lacks here, it more than makes up for in drama and thought.

RA 12+/IL 12+
Reviewed by Derek Smith
Spring 2003