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Torn

3.87 of 5 stars 3.87 · rating details · 53 ratings · 18 reviews

Afghanistan. In the heat and dust, young British army medic Elinor Nielson watches an Afghan girl walk into a hail of bullets. But when she runs to help, Ellie finds her gone. Who is she? And what's happened to her? What Ellie discovers makes her question everything she believes in, even her feelings for the American lieutenant who takes her side.

Paperback, 259 pages

Published August 2nd 2012 by Chicken House

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Aug 09, 2012 Vicky rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, for-review, read-in-2012

Originally reviewed at: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/...

When I first saw David Massey’s Torn and what the story’s about, I knew I had to read it. Even though the synopsis doesn’t give too much away, I had a feeling I’d be in for an emotional ride. My only concern was that (and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way) I don’t normally read war books so I was hoping it wouldn’t be too… you know, war-like and all about politics. However, I shouldn’t have worried – for David Massey ma...more Originally reviewed at: http://www.booksbiscuitsandtea.co.uk/...

When I first saw David Massey’s Torn and what the story’s about, I knew I had to read it. Even though the synopsis doesn’t give too much away, I had a feeling I’d be in for an emotional ride. My only concern was that (and I know I’m not the only one who feels this way) I don’t normally read war books so I was hoping it wouldn’t be too… you know, war-like and all about politics. However, I shouldn’t have worried – for David Massey makes this difficult subject accessible for the young adult generation with such ease that you just won’t be able to put the book down.

Torn is narrated by a 19-year-old British medic called Ellie, who’s recently joined the troops in Afghanistan. Ellie is likeable and funny but very down-to-earth and ordinary as well – just like any of us. Massey’s aim by writing the story from a young girl’s perspective was to raise awareness to the fact that many young adults have died in the Afghan war, as well as adults. In fact, most of the characters in Torn are around Ellie’s age, and even younger. There are kids as young as 12 and soldiers around the age of 20-23. Reading what these people have been through was definitely an eye-opener for me. Even though it’s not just about people dying but friendship, love, and forgiveness as well, you still can’t help thinking about troops who are fighting in these circumstances day by day.

One of the things I loved the most was the friendship between Ellie and a young, twelve/thirteen year-old Afghan boy, Husna who the British troops hold captive after a gunfire attach in a nearby town. I loved the unlikely friendship between captor and captive and how much Husna changed by the end. How he didn’t trust anyone at first and slowly but surely he opened up and started to trust the girl. Husna’s by far my favourite character, although Ellie is a close second.

All in all, Torn is a definite must read. Don’t let the war subject put you off – it’s nothing like what you’d expect from a book about such a serious topic. It’s fully of mysteries, it’s funny, charming and it’ll bring tears to your eyes at the same time. It’s a heart-pounding adventure about friendship, loyalty, courage, but most importantly, hope.(less)

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Jun 09, 2013 Karen Yingling rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Elinor is a British medic new to her post in Afghanistan. She has a difficult bunk mate, Heidi, who is very resentful of her presence, and goofy cohorts who get off on the wrong foot with her by watching her shower. The group pulls together when they take a young boy, Husna, whose entire village was destroyed, with the exception of some children, who have formed the Young Martyrs group that is intent on killing adults on any side of the conflict. Husna maintains that Americans bombed his village...more Elinor is a British medic new to her post in Afghanistan. She has a difficult bunk mate, Heidi, who is very resentful of her presence, and goofy cohorts who get off on the wrong foot with her by watching her shower. The group pulls together when they take a young boy, Husna, whose entire village was destroyed, with the exception of some children, who have formed the Young Martyrs group that is intent on killing adults on any side of the conflict. Husna maintains that Americans bombed his village, and a contingent sets out to investigate. While there, they find that thejournalist daughter of the general in charge of the whole operation was married to an Afghani and most likely perished in the bombing, although her step son and daughter, Aroush, have survived. Aroush seems to show up any time someone is about to die, but Elinor is not convinced she is a ghost. Elinor takes a shine to Ben, an American Special Ops soldier that is on the same mission, but realizes that forming attachments while serving can be too distracting. The group manages to uncover the journalist’s papers as well as a Taliban plot, and barely make it back to base in one piece.
Strengths: It is possible to write to write a realistic book about war without a lot of curse words. Bravo. This didn’t pull any punches—there are several members of the unit that die, and Elinor is affected by their deaths. The danger is not downplayed at all, but it was interesting to me that there was so much danger even when the unit wasn’t actively fighting—they were just patrolling the area. The tie in with the general’s daughter being a journalist but living in a remote village was a nice touch.
Weaknesses: The decorations at the beginning of each chapter (poppies) slowed the load time on this down considerably and crashed my Nook. Again, e versions of books should take this into consideration. As for the story, I have no quibbles as all. Excellent stuff, to pair with Reedy’s Out of the Dust and the few other titles that are out there about Afghanistan.
(less)

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Jul 09, 2012 Sharon Thomson rated it 4 of 5 stars

My first thoughts on this book were that I hoped it wasn’t going to be too ‘war-like’ and all action. However I was very pleasantly surprised. David Massey has managed to create a book that is informational, thought provoking, emotional, funny and insightful.

Several times I had to remind myself that this book was written by a man. He managed to get inside Ellie‘s head so well and voiced her thoughts, fears, emotions very clearly and intuitively.

This book is a must-read for everyone. It frankly t...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book follows Ellie, a young medic in the British Armed Forces who has just been sent to combat in Afghanistan.
There is action, emotion and intrigue dripping off every single page!
I simply could not stop reading!
There's a perfect blend of military action, budding friendships, mystery, with a sprinkle of romance and a touch of supernatural.
You will find yourself tearing through the book to get to the ending, then disappointed that it has ended and wanting more.
Ellie is amazing, but believable...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Stephanie (Stepping out of the Page) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-i-own, arc-or-review, young-adult, historical, realistic-fiction, read-in-2012, cover-appeal

As soon as I saw the cover for Torn, I knew that I had to read it. I absolutely adore the cover and anything about war really intrigues me. The lovely people at Chicken House provided me with a review copy. As soon as it landed in my postbox, it was taken and put on the top of my reading pile. I was very, very, very eager to pick this one up!

Torn was a good read. The writing was enjoyable and accessible and the story was certainly not boring. I personally have an issue where I like to hype mysel...more As soon as I saw the cover for Torn, I knew that I had to read it. I absolutely adore the cover and anything about war really intrigues me. The lovely people at Chicken House provided me with a review copy. As soon as it landed in my postbox, it was taken and put on the top of my reading pile. I was very, very, very eager to pick this one up!

Torn was a good read. The writing was enjoyable and accessible and the story was certainly not boring. I personally have an issue where I like to hype myself up for books and so I have great expectations - I think that may have been the case with this book - though I did enjoy it, I felt that it was lacking a certain something. I can't actually pick out what this book was lacking in, but it didn't pack a massive punch for me and so I don't think this will be a story that will stay with me for a long time.

I thought that Massey did a absolutely wonderful job of introducing us to the war front of Afghanistan - in simple yet effective and descriptive terms, he introduced us to a foreign an very different land compared to the reasonably safe one that most of us live in. Though the beginning of the book wasn't exactly fast paced, for me it was the most impressive part of the book and it gave us a good introduction to Ellie, our main character who is starting out as an army medic.

Most of the characters in Torn were well formed and played good parts. Though it wasn't explicitly written, the emotional trouble of both the soldiers and the civilians in Afghanistan was portrayed quite well. We were introduced to some rather interesting characters. For me, the relationship between Ellie and a child prisoner of war, Husna, was certainly the most effective. However, I also enjoyed reading about Heidi, Ellie's colleague, trying to figure out more about her and what she'd do next - even if she did irritate me at points! I also liked reading about Ellie's friendship with Chip and Yugi. I wasn't all that bothered about the romantic side to this story - it didn't feel all that natural and it was a bit rushed for my liking - against the backdrop of war, it just didn't feel right nor did it seem entertaining.

Learning about the war in Afghanistan was intriguing, but to be honest it was all a little bit too political for me - I understand that war is certainly a political thing, but the politics of it felt a little forced upon me in this book. I found the story of the child soldiers and the mysterious little girl to be very interesting, but the story behind it did get a little too political for me - I do think that some people will enjoy the political aspect, especially as it throws some mystery into the book, but I personally didn't.

Overall, Torn was a good, interesting book. It is certainly different to many of the other choices of Young Adult books out there and I'm glad that Massey decided to approach the subject of war as it's certainly something to be written about! I will look forward to more work by Massey in the future and I hope to read more books about this subject, too!(less)

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Jan 08, 2013 Claire rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am torn about this book. It is getting lots of stars... I struggled with the characters, their motivations, and the ongoing confusion of where the author was taking the characters.
I agree that the writing is accessible. Ellie the medic that narrates the book is believable. She certainly lays out the conundrum faced by allied soldiers in Afghanistan. The culture clash, the IEDs. The constant fear. Ellie is confused by the children who have taken up arms in Afghanistan to fight the Brits and th...more

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Aug 08, 2012 Misty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own, recieved-for-review, signed

Normally I wouldn't pick up a book that's set in a war zone, but after reading the blurb for Torn I just felt that it would be different and knew I wanted to give it a try.
At 259 pages this was a really quick read for me and I breezed right through it engrossed in the story, it was different to other books like this, sure it had a message but there was a story and relationships and a little romance, I really enjoyed it and think it will appeal to young readers.
I think I'll first point out that I...more

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Aug 07, 2012 Sophie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-debut, uk-author, for-review, blog-tour

I had incredibly high hopes for David Massey’s debut, but there was something about Torn that just didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

Torn started slowly which was surprising and David Massey’s throws us straight into Ellie’s first day as an army medic in Afghanistan. He took the time to evoke the smothering heat and constant threat of the base and Ellie’s already fairly fragile mental state was quickly established. She was terrified of getting something wrong; putting other people in danger and t...more I had incredibly high hopes for David Massey’s debut, but there was something about Torn that just didn’t quite hit the spot for me.

Torn started slowly which was surprising and David Massey’s throws us straight into Ellie’s first day as an army medic in Afghanistan. He took the time to evoke the smothering heat and constant threat of the base and Ellie’s already fairly fragile mental state was quickly established. She was terrified of getting something wrong; putting other people in danger and that maybe they weren’t helping at all the fragile situation in Afghanistan at all. I could almost feel the paranoia and brokenness of some the soldiers on Ellie’s base emanating from the pages, especially Heidi.

Even though this was beautifully done and I loved the strength of the setting, it set a pace that made it a little difficult to move on through the novel. Even when the attacks and gun fights that peppered Torn began and had heart-rending consequences didn’t increase the tempo of the novel. For me, it didn’t really get going until the Americans arrived and a frisson of sexual tension sparked between Ben, the lieutenant, and Ellie. I was a little bit worried that that was what made me interested in the novel...but it was.

The burgeoning feelings between Ellie and Ben added a spark of electricity into an already taut situation and I flew through the rest of the pages after that, dying to know how their relationship would evolve. From the beginning, both Ben and Ellie and the reader know that anything between them wouldn’t be allowed, and would just generally be a bad idea, but I was dying for them to finally kiss! Right up until the last page, I didn’t know what was going to happen to them and I loved not knowing whether the girl would get the boy – it’s rather rare in YA.

On to a more serious topic, the war. Before beginning Torn, I was worried that it would be a little too political for me, and I was right. I really have no interest in politics and I rarely take notice of the news because it’s so depressing (I realise that makes me sound very uninformed and whatnot, but oh well) so I didn’t really know the situation of the Afghan war and had to pay rather close attention to all of the tidbits of information passed between the soldiers. I have to admit that this clouded my interest in the novel slightly and it was only the human interest aspects of Torn that really caught my attention, and my emotions.

The presence of the little girl in the blue dress at each event of a death in the novel was haunting and creepy and I worried that Torn might end up having a supernatural edge. Thankfully, her story remained fairly cloudy and I’ve chosen to eschew all other-worldly explanations as that would have disappointed me quite a lot. The story that had most impact on me was of course that of Husna, especially in how he connected with Ellie. His story was heart-breaking and I can’t imagine the pain and struggles that he lived through. The way that his broken English perfectly captured the sound of his voice for me made me love him even more. I thought it was a brilliantly handled story arc.

Although I had some reservations of Torn, I ended up enjoy it and I look forward to reading more from David Massey.(less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Emma Yates rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: young adult, someone looking for a more serious short fun novel

when i read the blurb i knew i had to read i†, and once i started i couldn't put it down, great book, but the blurbs tagline about love in war-zones didn't appear until 3/4 of the way through. It was sweet but a little too sweet and boring and the conclusion didn't explain some of the mystery behind the story very well which was a bit unsatisfying, but a great time reading it and really gripping summer read.

would defiantly recommend, loved it.

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Sep 20, 2012 Victoria rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teenage-young-adult

Harrowing, poignant and beautifully written - David Massey has taken a sensitive, current topic and written a sometimes heartbreaking yet brave novel of one woman's struggle to fit in with her team during a tour in Afghanistan. This should be a book every teenager reads.

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Dec 29, 2012 Chantal rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: war-ya

Entertaining, well researched tale of war in Afghanistan from the perspective of an army medic. Filled with the tension of patrolling a war-torn country and being uncertain who to trust.
Subjects include war, Afghanistan, death, betrayal, Taliban, revenge,

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Sep 15, 2012 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

A well written book offering the reader an insight into modern day war without being too didactic. Good voice and style. Well researched.

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Jan 12, 2013 Fiona rated it 4 of 5 stars

Compassionate, intelligent YA in a military setting. I picked this up out of curiosity and it was so much better than I expected.

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Apr 22, 2013 Becky Salisbury rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: action, death, history, love, modern-day, travel, war

I really enjoyed this book, but the ending was a bit of let down... Apart from that, I loved it, the characters were great and plot was also great, until the end

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May 27, 2013 Sarah Gill rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really great short novel, but I would have loved to see more romance between Ellie and Lieutenant Jackson, and plot-buildup.

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May 06, 2013 Lara Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

totally enjoyed it.

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Jan 06, 2013 Marj rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Set in Afghanistan, Torn is a terrific read. It contains enough detail to be informative, carries the mood of the soldier, the terror of attack in life-threatening situations, and the emotion of a woman trying to make moral decisions in impossible situations created by war and torn allegiances. Massey's prose is at times poetic, at other times evocative. In short, this is one of the best war stories I've read for older teens. My take on its suitability is Year 10 - 12.

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Jul 15, 2012 Jodie (Books for Company) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Review to come
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Jun 18, 2013 Vickie marked it as to-read · review of another edition

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Jun 17, 2013 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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