The Penalty (Hardcover)

by Mal Peet (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
This companion novel to Keeper (2005) picks up the story of South American sports journalist Paul Faustino, who is drawn into a wild, esoteric mystery after a young soccer prodigy disappears. Although Peet's decision to set the story in a generalized fictional South American country may spark controversy, once again, he tells a fascinating, complex tale that incorporates sports, the occult, and South American history and culture. "For me time is folded, like cloth," says one character, and the same is true of Peet's experimental narrative, which leaps between Faustino's contemporary viewpoint and the historical voice of an African man who survived the Middle Passage and the graphic brutality of slave life. Jerky transitions between story lines and some clichéd language distract from the frequent lyricism, vivid magic, and rich, unsettling themes. The surface mystery will intrigue readers, but it's the deeper questions about religious belief, salvation, and how best to confront the past's shocking inhumanity that will linger. For another novel that blends twentieth-century life with African history and voodoo, suggest Susan Vaught's Stormwitch (2005). Engberg, Gillian

Review
"* "Physical, spiritual - Arthurian, even - this is true enchantment." TES Teacher on Keeper * "A blast of fresh air... so strong and vibrant, so passionate... A hugely original and enjoyable work of fiction." INIS on Keeper" --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Candlewick; First Printing First Edition edition (August 14, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0763633992
• ISBN-13: 978-0763633998
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #872,925 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Mysticim,magic realism and soccer in South America, May 23, 2008

By	F. J. Harvey "Cricket ,country music and a go... (Birmingham England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mal Peet garnered a number of awards in the field of Young Adult Fiction with Keeper ,his debut novel .On the surface this would appear to be much the mixture as before-a key figure in the previous novel - South American sports journalist Paul Faustino -reappears ;the book features a soccer player in a pivotal role and there is a dose of religion and mysticism thrown into the mix as well.All pretty similar to Keeper but this time out the role of soccer is relatively muted and soccer mad boys who relished the vivid evocation of matches in the earlier book will perhaps be disappointed by the absence of any such passages in this book .The Penalty is a darker ,scarier book with more focus on religion and the troubled history of South America than on "then beautiful game"

Faustino becomes involved in the disappearance of a soccer prodigy -the gifted teenageer El Brujito (the little magician)who simply disappears after being substituted in a big game .Faustino's search takes him upriver ,to a remote and virtually inaccessible part of the jungle where he finds a world still largely in thrall to the Old Gods ,those of Africa and with their roots in slavery
Much of the book takes place in flashback with the narrative being provided by a captive African slave and he tells of transportation to Lation America ,the survival of the old ways and also features some quite violent scenes of murder and sexual violation .It is abook over which an air of violence and coruption ,both moral and legal, hangs and I am unsure of its susitability for juvenile audiences on these grounds
It is strongly written and powerful but too dark and distiurbing to be an auatomatic recommendation for soccer loving kids and adults who enjoyed the previous book .I would instead urge it upon those who like South American fiction as it gives an interesting British take on the themes commmon to Latin American novels