This is an intriguing, intense, and at times unsettling story of a boy’s struggle to come to terms with the role he played in another boy’s death. At the start of the novel Robbie is in an institution for troubled youths where he is helped to confront the truth about the extent of his responsibility for the tragedy which we learn about gradually in flashback. The regime seems harsh, claustrophobic, and almost pitiless at times which I found disturbing – for example keeping children in solitary confinement where they even have to ask permission to go to the bathroom. Yet this organisation is the End of The Line – a last resort for young people where all else has failed. It gets results and is Robbie’s only chance of resolving issues from his past and being capable of resuming a normal life in society. The End of the Line is a cleverly constructed, thought provoking, and absorbing novel. A stunning debut – I’m looking forward to reading many more books from this author in the future.