REVIEW: Noah's Law by Randa Abdel-Fattah

My first Randa Abdel-Fattah Book, "Noah makes you feel better about a literary world filled with Edward Cullens"

Sixteen-year-old Noah is a troublemaker.
His father is a hotshot barrister.
This is not a good combination.
When Noah gets caught mucking up at school, his dad sends him to work at his aunt's law firm during the holidays to 'learn responsibility' and 'fix his attitude'. There he meets Jacinta - the cute intern who knows her way around a photocopier, and Casey - the wicked witch of the firm. Noah becomes involved in a case where a woman has been killed during a mugging gone wrong. There's a grieving husband, a guilty employer, and an open and shut case involving lots of money. But right and wrong, and crime and punishment are soon entangled as Noah realises that things are seldom what they seem.

Noah's Law is a great example of a realistic contemporary YA work. It combines the fascinating (to those who are not lawyers) world of courtrooms and stakeouts and has a unique male narrator, a rarity in the Young Adult world. [But more on that later!]

 

The characters were great, unique fun people to read about, each intertwining into the mystery and comedy of the story in their own way. I liked how the mystery of this story worked; it is one of the better of the bunch, probably because I didn't find myself frustrated when clues just fell in front of them, and murderers 'accidentally' confessed into a tape recorder. Noah actually had to do some detective work, and even though some things did come to him, it was somehow still believable. Let me put it this way - there wasn't some random, outlandish ending where they all suddenly became heroes and caught the crook.

Noah's Law is humorous, and I think part of that is due to: a) the witty writing and b) the male point of view (pov). Although I am not a guy (yes, I am sure. last time I checked at least.), I thought that the male narrator was written in a realistic, believable way that was comedic, boyish, and yet managed not to alienate certain reading groups. (namely, females).

I liked Noah's sidekicks, and as for the language, don't be daunted by the law jargon that ensues. If you have ever seen any sort of police/crime/law show that has lawyers (CSI, Law & Order, Drop Dead Diva, even!), you will have no trouble with it. 

I can confidently say that GUYS and GIRLS aged 14-18 will enjoy Noah's Law.