The Things We Leave Behind- Clare Furniss

'Civil unrest in London has reached an all-time high after years of a growing authoritarian regime, and it's no longer safe for Clem and her half-sister Billie in the city.

    Clem tells of their treacherous journey to Scotland, by road and then by sea, fleeing with nothing but a notebook filled with stories and memories of home.

    But is there something Clem's not saying?  And how will this journey - and the sisters' story - end?  With the start of a new life?  Or a mirror held up to the past?'

Set in a dystopian London, not too far in the future, the speed at which things change in the book is frightening and within the space of a day, Clem's world is turned upside down. One moment, she's celebrating her fifteenth birthday with friends and family, and the next her step-mother's citizenship is being questioned  simply because her grandparents hadn't been born in the UK.  The civil unrest in London has changed everything and is quite terrifying to read, not least because it is scarily believable. 

Clem is forced to grow-up very quickly and the responsibility she feels is evident. We don't think of people being refugees within their own country, but this is precisely what happens to Clem and Billie. Leaving London with just a backpack in order to head for their grandfather's, they see very different people along the way: those who will help, and those determined to uphold Knight's new regime. It's a story that is beautifully told whilst also being unsettling. 

Clem's story is largely told through her time with Poppy, a counsellor, recapping the time from her birthday to the present day. As she recounts the events, you begin to learn the truth about what they have been through but you also get to know more about her friendship with Mischa - I love that Clem continues to have conversations with her in her head: we see a lighter side to her and it reminds us that she is just a teenager trying to carry a huge weight on her shoulders. 

The Things We Leave Behind is a compelling read that will have you gripped from the beginning. Believable yet terrifying, the end if the book will leave you speechless (my son asked me if I was OK, I gasped so much!).  Publishing on the 14th March, this is a book that will stay with you long after you've finished reading.