Flight of the Doves is an example of just how brilliant children's books can be. Macken never once panders to the intended age of his audience and the result is an intelligent and compelling novel, realistic and unidealised characters and a sharp moral that isn't at all overbearing.
The first thing I noticed about this book was its beautiful writing style - Macken makes great use of several simple sentences, not only putting you in the mindset of the very straight-forward and logical Finn but also creating a great subtlety in his work often lacking in other children's books. In several places, what is left unsaid is almost more poignant and important than what is written down. And Macken doesn't once compensate for the fact that Flight of the Doves is a children's book, being perfectly happy to include words such as 'inexorable', 'phosphorescent' and 'sibilant' which I certainly wouldn't have known when I was seven ^__^;;.
Not only beautifully written, Flight of the Doves is a page turner and a half! The plight of Finn and Derval always manages to surprise, and I found myself desperately willing them to succeed over each difficulty placed in their path. Finn is an incredibly endearing hero and he continued to impress me with his ingenious escape methods as well as his touching care for Derval. Macken also expertly describes that time of your life when you want to be an adult and find, to your great frustration, that you are held back by still being a child. Many writers seem to choose an age for their character and then write them a couple of years out, but not Macken: Finn's determination to be adult in his actions and manner and the way it is matched by his more childish trust, honesty and innocence perfectly mirror his age.
And that childish trust was rarely misplaced, which was one of the things I loved most about this book. The idea that two children could invoke the compassion of the adults they met and unknowingly persuade them to help them was wonderfully executed, never feeling forced. Macken also manages - over very few pages - to kindle empathy in the reader for these adult characters who ignore the chance of monetary rewards and the fact that they'll be breaking the law to help the two runaways. He contrasts this with the quite disgusting and pathetic figure of Uncle Toby - a man we always see as 'Uncle' Toby, through Finn's eyes - and the equally repulsive Nicko, creating a whole host of well-developed and convincing characters.
Perhaps it was the tangible reality of this book that impressed me most. Its no-nonsense matter-of-fact narration of an extremely emotionally challenging tale was inspiring. My only criticism would be that, like many children's books, the ending suffered from a half-hearted aftermath. I felt that either the book should have been left at the triumphant end of the penultimate chapter, or required a longer re-equilibrium section. The last two pages provided nothing more than a slight anti-climax and I found myself flicking back to re-read Finn's moving speech to the judge and Michael's triumphant, "You did it Finn!" to regain a sense of satisfaction.
Despite this slight criticism (and don't get me wrong, it is only a slight problem), Flight of the Doves has impressed me far more than I thought possible. Truly unable to put it down, I still find my mind swirling with thoughts of Finn and Derval's flight to Ireland and the idea that no matter how helpless you may feel, help is always at hand.