Bright Young Things (Paperback)

by Scarlett Thomas (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
'A generation defining masterpiece' Matt Thorne; 'A compulsive, edgy thriller' Loaded; 'Sassy and confident' Mike Ripley on Dead Clever; 'Lily Pascale is...a sassy character full of contemporary hipness and uncurbable curiosity... Classic investigation with the right dash of modernity' Time Out on In Your Face; 'An ingenious mystery' Scotsman on Seaside

Product Description
Bright young things required for big project...Six young people respond to the advert in The Times - all clever, all disaffected with their lives, all looking for an escape. What they least expect is to find themselves prisoners on an island, at the mercy of...who? Their needs are well provided for with a comfortable house and provisions but there's no telephone, no television and no way to escape. The bright young things have to start working out why they're there and how to get away before it's too late...

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Product Details

• Paperback: 439 pages
• Publisher: Flame (August 2, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0340767820
• ISBN-13: 978-0340767825
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,968,471 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars No Closure, Book Ends Prematurely, October 23, 2004

By	James N Simpson (Gold Coast, QLD Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is quite a good story about six young people who apply for an add for Bright Young Things Wanted For Big Project, attend the interview then wake up on a deserted island with no idea how they got there or what is planned for them. It does drag on in a few scenes for too long but the worst and unforgivable factor is that the story does not end and key plot facts the reader was anticipating having answered by the conclusion are not.
I can't really explain this without giving away the plot so if you haven't read the book don't continue reading this review, just be warned the book does not give you closure.

We never find out exactly why these six were brought to the island at all. Were they there to be murdered after their nightmares had been played out by the guy who gave them coffee at the interview? Was the guy in the attic actually the kidnapper or was he part of the project and murdered by the kidnapper or just there to monitor the situation and take notes before the actual kidnappers or owners of the company arrived? What did he actually die of, was it really a heart attack that a few of them suspected or was it more sinister? Was there actually really a job at the end of it for one of them after the experiment was over or were they all to be killed? Was he there to actually torture them with their worst fears or help them overcome them? Was the boat with his corpse ever found? Were they ever rescued or did they starve to death when the food ran out? Did they start to go insane when the food supply got low and kill each other? Did the others ever find out Jamie did not attach the note to the corpse and did they kill him when they realised they would die because of him? So many questions that go unanswered, you could understand if this was part one and there is a sequel but this is not mentioned anywhere in the book.

It is so frustrating that you turn the last page and have no idea what happens to them or the true reason why they were taken there that I will never bother investing my money buying another Scarlett Thomas novel or energy into reading another one as I do not know if her other novels do not give closure either. If you want to read an excellent novel about sinister things happening to people who apply to job advertisements read the masterpiece the Ax by Donald E Westlake.