“Detention” by Tristan Bancks

This is a review of “Detention” by Tristan Bancks. This book was written in 2019 and was nominated for the 2020 CBCA Book of the Year Younger Readers Notable Book. This book has many elements that will draw in young adult readers. The two main characters and one minor character are on the edge of society. Sima is a refugee who escapes from an Australian detention centre and Dan is a young boy living in poverty. There is also a dog, Rosco, who has probably been used in dog fighting. Before I get into it what I like about the story there are some issues that spring to mind. The author encourages the audience to empathise and identify with Sima by giving her body image issues (Sima comments on her dislike of her ears). This is an issue because it is not discussed or resolved by the end of the book and is only mentioned once at the beginning. Some people may demur with this attempt to have the audience identify with the main character through her body image issues even though it is only mentioned once. It can be seen as a concerning use of what is a serious issue to help the audience empathise with the main character.
They are many things that are good about this novel. The narrator gives the reader two points of view which allows the reader to see why each character is making certain decisions. How the character perceives certain situations affects the way they make decisions. The novel does not have everything wrapped up in a neat little bow by the conclusion. The author shows that things may improve but there will still be issues and consequences for actions. This has the added bonus of being far more grounded in reality than I was expecting when I started reading the story. The novel also shows that people can make decisions and then change their minds. Banck does a good job of showing that characters are thinking things through and does not just depict them as fickle. “Detention” also shows the issues and problems inherent with people having to trust each other and that characters may want to do the right thing but may not be sure what that is or may feel that the potential consequences of doing the right thing may be too high. This diversity of issues and the characters’ actions can be useful to discuss with tweens or teenagers, as well as considering different characters’ motivations. Readers could explore how and why the ending tidies up some problems and leaves others unresolved. From reviewing this book I reflected on how the author used his different characters to bring the audience into the book and create empathy for his characters.