Kerosene

by Chris Wooding

A novel of rage, confusion, and release from an extraordinary young author

In order to cope with his feelings of pain and confusion, sixteen-year-old Cal burns things, but the situation gets out of control after he meets Abby, a girl whose games will push him to the edge.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Mental Health, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Novels, Contemporary

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Chris Wooding grew up in a small town in Leicestershire, where not much of anything happened. So he started to write novels. He was sixteen when he completed his first. He had an agent by eighteen. By nineteen he had signed his first book deal. When he left university he began to write full-time, and he has been doing it professionally all his adult life.

Now thirty-nine, Chris has written over twenty books, which have been translated into twenty languages, won various awards and been published around the world. He writes for film and television, and has several projects in development.

Chris has travelled extensively round the world, having backpacked all over Europe and North America, Scandinavia, South East Asia, Japan and South Africa. He also lived in Madrid for a time. When he wasn’t travelling on his own, he spent his twenties touring with bands and seeing the UK and Europe from the back of a van.

He also learned not so long ago that his family tree can be traced back to John Milton, author of Paradise Lost, which has no bearing on him whatsoever but it’s kind of interesting anyway.

Chris lives in London.

Reviews

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

A YA novel with a promising premise, Kerosene's endless possibilities are ruined by author Chris Wooding's hit-or-miss text and his undeveloped, one-dimensional characters. At times, Wooding does show the odd bit of future capability, but writing Kerosene at such a young age is probably a main factor in why the writing isn't as good as other Young Adult novels.

Cal, an introverted pyromaniac, has never been good at making friends. By day, he is quiet, only speaking to his slightly-more-popular best mate Joel, but at night, he releases his teenage angst by lighting matches, watching the flames flicker and dance like ballerinas. Then he meets Abby, and things get out of hand. Cal and Abby come up with a master plan, one which will make him take control, and not the stereotypical bullies that plague his day-to-day trials.

As the plot above suggests, Kerosene sounds like a pretty good book. On top of that, it's a short read, only about 200 pages, perfect for a morning commute. However, Wooding is so young that his characters aren't fully developed, instead bordering on caricatures of teenagers, though Cal's shyness does not seem fictional. You can tell Chris has been there.

Overall, it isn't a bad book, it just doesn't reach its full potential. For such a young writer, though, it's applaudable, commendable stuff, though the ending is unrealistic and, quite frankly, bad.

[Amanda Rehm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time favorite book. To me it shows how everyone has problems and sometimes they can get out of control. This story is a prime example of how someone can deal with their problems in a negative way resulting in things just getting worse and worse. I also like how the book leaves you with a feeling of no matter how bad it gets there is always hope. I believe being arrested or getting in trouble isn't always the answer and sometimes the only way for someone to get better is to realize their mistakes for themselves. This book definitely shows this and I am definitely planning on reading this book again very soon.

[Amanda L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this book 3/5 because it's a good book. It is about a sixteen year old named Cal,. Cal is a shy, who has some problems, such as closing up and getting nervous when meeting new people,(especially girls) his only friend, Joel who is shutting him out of his life ( Joel also owes money to some drug dealers)and he has a thing with fire. In the beginning of the book it's just lighting matches and watching them burn but throughout the book when he feels more and more stressed he looks for bigger things to ignite. The reason for his high stress level you ask? Well the answer to that is Abby Cohen. Abby is the popular new girl and is friends with another popular girl , the scheming Emma Cobley. When he accidently angers them they want revenge. At first Abby thinks pretending to like Cal as a game but actually starts to like him. Cal thinks she's still playing games with him and freaks out and starts setting bigger things on fire.
I think the way the book is sometimes unrealistic and a little rushed. Wooding also suddenly and clumsily jumps into another characters POV, Cal being the main (3rd person) narrator. It also seems hard to believe a detective would let him go after him being caught red handed. In the end the author makes the reader believe that Cal is no longer a pyro(as in having pyromaniac tendencies), so it could be considered a happy ending except that they will be having some problems with school the following monday. The book did have it's good parts too, like Cal saving Joel's a few times and it wouldn't be too bad to get off scot-free after setting a school on fire. It'd also a good thing that Cal ends up feeling that he has a reason to live and whatnot. The setting is in England. It also has drug and alcohol use so 13 and up seems appropriate,

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well I read this book called kerosene. It’s really a good book. It’s about this kid Cal, and all he really wants is to fit into the scene, because he’s a bit socially awkward. I can relate to this kid like a lot, because he has this thing for this girl. And the girl plays along but it’s for her own sick reasons. She’s really just playing with his mind.
Which is sick.
Anyway I can relate to this guy because he really digged this girl but she was just messing with him. This has happened to me on more than one occasion. Another thing I can relate to in this kid is fire. He’s a freaking pyromaniac! I mean I’m not up to his level but I can appreciate the slender curves of the dancing flames. Oh! By the end of the nook he lights up an entire school and by then he’s changed mentally because his thing for fire has cooled down and he gets the girl! Which is kinda where I’m at in life right now. I’d recommend this book to anyone. I’ve talked with other students about it and they agreed. It’s a very real and relatable book, somewhat similar to today’s social scene.

[Alix G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is fucking weird, and not in a good way either. First issue was the writing - not sure which parts specifically, but the style fostered a disconnect that didn't allow for any empathy.

Also, to be honest, I've never had much tolerance for or understanding of crippling anxiety, so that's why I may have found Cal unsympathetic. In a way, he read like a 5-year-old unable to deal with the simple cruelties of life. Rather disappointing, since the one-sentence summary had been intriguing.

[KayLee · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2.5)
Very quick read. I liked how the boy was shy, those parts were written very realistically and it was interesting to have a main character who dealt with that issue. But, the ending....terrible. SO unrealistic. :P And the writing was a hit or miss. Sometimes it felt truthful, other times it was choppy and cheesy.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story (about a painfully shy pyromaniac), but I was a bit disturbed by the ending. I don't think he should have gotten away with it.

[Daeus · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember really connecting to the anxiety of Cal growing up (I read this as a preteen or so, along with most of Chris Woodings books). And I appreciated the story itself, however I don't like how the end is him finding comfort in a woman/relationship. Like, I get the buildup of pressure and the isolation and desire to feel powerful and have an outlet/escape. I just feel like the solution was a type of therapist girlfriend with unconditional love rather than a deeper dive into his own motivations and attachment trauma, granted, that might be expecting too much from a book from the late 90s... still, an engaging and interesting short read.

[Sky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pacing was a bit odd, seemed to be alot of nothing much till right at the end when EVERYTHING goes down lol but it was a great ending to a good book! Only reason it doesn't get 5 is because as good a story as it was it seems like it could've been much more... muchier? Like it was missing its much-ness if that makes sense. It was a simple story I guess is what I'm getting at, and I would've liked more details. (P.s. the whole time I was reading Gasoline by Porcelain Black was playing in my brain so that was also very fun as I haven't thought about her in AGES and that song is BANGING)

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Believe me, I could identify with Cal's social situation completely...and it isn't fun. That was really the only decent thing about this book. Otherwise it sort of reminded me of Stephen King's Carrie without the supernatural elements. I haven't read Carrie though.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick, well-paced YA novel which will especially appeal to teenage boys. Although I sympathised with Cal, Abby ended up being my favourite character and I liked how she helped Cal near the end of the book.

[J Thorne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me

[Jinx:The:Poet {the LiteraryWanderer & WordRoamer} · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A novel of rage, confusion, and release from an extraordinary young author." -Book Blurb

Kerosene is the dark story of a young man, named Cal, by day a quiet social outcast, by night... a frustrated, tormented pyromaniac, burning to feel control over something, anything, in his life and desperate to express himself. It begins as a habit, his playing with fire, but his desire to burn things soon gets out of hand as time goes on, especially when a girl he likes begins playing mind games with him and his only friend, Joel, begins drifting away. It is a story, with devastating consequences of how dark secrets can suddenly become destructive, however the ending was a bit hurried and inconsequential. Although the writing itself could at time be clunky, it was a very interesting and compelling read. I found Cal to be a highly relatable character, especially if one has been in his shoes, as a silent outsider, a lone misfit or a youth tormented with dark and destructive urges ignited from inner rage and powerlessness of teenage life.



I would probably recommend this book to an older teen audience, though some adults may enjoy this as well. It was a decent read, one that I won't shortly forget.

[CONTENT & TRIGGER WARNING BELOW...]

[OFFICIAL RATING: 4 STARS]



[CONTENT NOTE: Destructive Pyromaniac behavior, themes of depression, anger, angst, isolation etc.]

[Juan Rivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aunque la historia tiene buen ritmo, al final me hubiera gustado un par de capítulos extra o por lo menos un epílogo.

[Brewer Community School · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book I read was called Kerosene, by Chris Wooding, and it was about a teenage boy named Cal who had nervous breakdowns and was socially awkward. One day, he accidentally got a popular girl in trouble, and in revenge this girl and her friend tormented Cal. Cal also was losing his only friend, and to calm his nerves, he started to light matches, which turned into larger things. But his fires started to get out of hand with everything happening to Cal and he started to get in trouble with the police.

If this book were to continue I think that Cal would stop burning buildings, and would be happy with Abby and his friend joel. Emma would stop bullying him and Joel would stop dealing drugs.

I really liked this book because it had a good plot and I liked the characters. It was good!

-RH

[Kate Shanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Kerosene" is about a high school boy named, Cal. Cal is shy, awkward, and ignored by his peers. His only friend is Joel, who he has known since childhood. Unfortunately, even Joel is pulling away and hanging around with a tougher group of young men. When the school's most popular girl named Emma and a new girl named Abby play a trick on Cal, it becomes more than he can bear. In fact, Cal turns to fire as a way to cope with his problems. His obsession with fire starts to get out of control. I liked how the plot left me guessing about what would happen next. The "fire" themed chapters provide the reader with an opportunity to predict about what will happen in the plot. The theme of the book also illustrates how people can be pushed to their limit with devastating results.

[bjneary · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Storm Thief (which I really enjoyed) I decided to read other Wooding novels--Kerosene was compelling and really took you into the teen mind through Cal, Abby, Emma and Joel. I was impressed that Chris Wooding was 20 when he wrote this book! I really liked the ending because of the redemptive value for Cal and Abby, but is it good that Cal got away with so much scary stuff in order to supposedly become a more in control teen? If anyone else has read this book, I'd like to know what you think? I have another Wooding novel I will sink my teeth into this summer.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This YA novel will definitely ignite interest in my teen guys. The UK slang might distract them a little bit, but the fast-paced torment that the main character experiences and then retaliates will keep their interest until the riveting conclusion. What happens when a shy pyromaniac is pushed to his limits and only has setting fires as his release? This story answers that question and deals with serious issues of parents who abandon their child, drugs, sex, bullying and revenge.

[Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure what it was about this book that made me like it so much, but I really did like it. I usually don't like problem novels, but this one didn't feel like one.

I really liked the author's writing style and I thought he did a great job with character development and really getting into the characters' heads. The ending would never have happened in real life, which may be annoying for some people, but I thought it was fitting.

[Lucy-mae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't know whether to give it 2 or 3 stars. It was an alright read, although not the greatest book I've read. It didn't really touch me the way some books do. I'd rather a book that can alter my emotions. This didn't do it so much for me. Although other than that it was a good book. Easy and quick to read.

[Nicholai baylog · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of my favorite.... drama(?) books. i often refer to this book as a good psychology-esk book. if you want to understand the minds of troubled teens. this could be it... or at least that's how i felt after reading this book.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

ho, boy. i read it so fast, i almost forgot the ending just now. not that i would share that...i'm not that kind of girl.
quick read about anger and flames, bullies and retribution. all set in England.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, the ending may not be so realistic, but this book is a riveting and quick read. Cal is painfully shy, and neglected by his parents. He has a friend (yes, just one) and discovers that one thing makes him feel at peace--fire.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very tense, quick easy read. It is the story of a young introverted pyromaniac who sets fires to release stress. I found Kerosene to be a good, short easy read but I found the ending to be too ‘neat’ and unrealistic.

[Lyra Stone]

ammazing, of course!if you like books about teens with mental problems that is!(romanse is a constant in this book)

[Trina · Rating 5 out of 5]

i am so into it

[Adina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I didn't like the P.O.V of the Policeman.

[Merel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitally my favorite book. I just love how his feelings are explained and can really place myself in how he feels.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay. I found Cal to be over sensitive.

[Tia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in like three hours. It was very well written, by a twenty year old author. For a problem novel, this was pretty good.