Answers to Brut

by Gillian Rubinstein

Kel loved all dogs, but he loved bull terriers most. He loved their clever, ugly faces and their stiff-legged aggressive walk.

'A bully'll never let go,' his father once told him. 'He'll get something in his teeth, and he won't drop it. You have to kill him first.'Just like me.'

114 pages, Paperback

First published December 5, 1988

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gillian_...

Also works under the pen name Lian Hearn

Reviews

[Sally]

Brut is actually pronounced "Brute". Like the whole Luc/Luke thing. I didn't find that out until like halfway through the book XD

[Shannon McShortall]

I had this recommended to me as an alternative text for Year 7s to ‘A Different Dog’. But it has a lot of similar problems in its execution.

There are some very good moments though. The whole thing acts as a coming-of-age crime story as a small microcosm of the desperation and misplaced feelings of crime comes crashing headfirst into the true adult reality of crime. The child perspectives feeling so lost and without motivation they could comprehend is a really mature and realistic way to tackle the characters.

However, the whole thing feels like a dog fight. Initially confusing, the book introduces and names characters in a way that feels lazy. It just places you in this world and expects you to just exist in it for an hour. Then we get our first nips of drama, leading to a consistent intensity, as two forces roughly tear into each other for spectators to see. Unfortunately though, Iike all dog fights, at some point it reaches a point of no return and it very suddenly ends on a whimper.

[Tamara J]

I read this book as a young teenager and loved it. It's definitely an emotional journey from start to end.

[Sean Harding]

Rubinstein Rubies #1
Missing dog story gets quite dramatic and is fairly fast paced, a short yarn, which did not spend a lot of time on character development, but is an entertaining enough yarn.

[a*s*h]

OMG THIS BOOK. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS BOOK MY ENTIRE LIFE. I NEED TO RE READ THIS YEAR