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The inner circle
When Tony's mother walks out on him and his father, on the surface Tony's life appears to go on as normal, but on the inside, everything has changed. Tony lives with his father but they rarely talk. In fact, Tony's father seems to have lost all real interest in his only son. Tony deals with this by becoming Tony the man, Tony the untouchable. He vows never to let anyone get close to him again.Joe is an Aboriginal from a country town, living in the city for his job as an apprentice fitter and turner. Teased and tormented by his fellow co-workers, Joe chucks his job in after two weeks, but is too ashamed to go home. Instead he seeks shelter in an old municipal power station in a nearby park. Alone and growing more desperate by the day, Joe wonders what life could possibly offer someone like him...The Inner Circle traces the friendship of the two boys and the gradual breakdown of their defences, towards each other and towards life. A compelling story from one of Australia s finest children's writers.
- GenresYoung Adult
113 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
2 people are currently reading
50 people want to read
About the author
Gary Crew
86 books66 followersDr Gary Crew, author of novels, short stories and picture books for older children and young adults, began his writing career in 1985, when he was a high school teacher. His books are challenging and intriguing, often based on non-fiction. As well as writing fiction, Gary is a Associate Professor in Creative Writing, Children's and Adult Literature, at the University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland and editor of the After Dark series.
He lives with his wife Christine on several acres in the cool, high mountains of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland, Australia in a house called 'Green Mansions' which is shaded by over 200 Australian rainforest palms he has cultivated. He enjoys gardening, reading, and playing with his dogs Ferris, Beulah, and Miss Wendy. In his spare time he has created an Australian Rainforest Garden around his home, filled with Australian palms. Gary loves to visit antique shops looking for curios and beautiful objects.
Gary Crew has been awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the year four times: twice for Book of the Year for Young Adult Older Readers (Strange Objects in 1991 and Angel’s Gate in 1993) and twice for Picture Book of the Year with First Light in 1993 (illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe) and The Watertower (illustrated by Steven Woolman) in 1994. Gary’s illustrated book, Memorial (with Shaun Tan) was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book in 2000 and short listed for the Queensland Premier’s Awards. He has also won the Wilderness Society Award, the Whitley Award and the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction.
In the USA he has been twice short listed for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Fiction Award for Youth and the Hungry Minds Review American Children’s Book of distinction. In Europe he has twice been and twice the prestigious White Raven Award for his illustrated books. Among his many Australian awards is the Ned Kelly Prize for Crime Fiction, the New South Wales Premier’s Award and the Victorian Premier’s Award. He has been short listed for both the Queensland Premier’s and the Western Australian Premier’s awards for Fiction.
He lives with his wife Christine on several acres in the cool, high mountains of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland, Australia in a house called 'Green Mansions' which is shaded by over 200 Australian rainforest palms he has cultivated. He enjoys gardening, reading, and playing with his dogs Ferris, Beulah, and Miss Wendy. In his spare time he has created an Australian Rainforest Garden around his home, filled with Australian palms. Gary loves to visit antique shops looking for curios and beautiful objects.
Gary Crew has been awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Book of the year four times: twice for Book of the Year for Young Adult Older Readers (Strange Objects in 1991 and Angel’s Gate in 1993) and twice for Picture Book of the Year with First Light in 1993 (illustrated by Peter Gouldthorpe) and The Watertower (illustrated by Steven Woolman) in 1994. Gary’s illustrated book, Memorial (with Shaun Tan) was awarded the Children’s Book Council of Australia Honour Book in 2000 and short listed for the Queensland Premier’s Awards. He has also won the Wilderness Society Award, the Whitley Award and the Aurealis Award for Speculative Fiction.
In the USA he has been twice short listed for the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Mystery Fiction Award for Youth and the Hungry Minds Review American Children’s Book of distinction. In Europe he has twice been and twice the prestigious White Raven Award for his illustrated books. Among his many Australian awards is the Ned Kelly Prize for Crime Fiction, the New South Wales Premier’s Award and the Victorian Premier’s Award. He has been short listed for both the Queensland Premier’s and the Western Australian Premier’s awards for Fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 8, 2017
The Inner Circle by Gary Crew tells the short tale of a pair of teenagers who meet one night. Tony was just a kid when his life was changed by the divorce of his parents. Now he lives a kind of depressing life. Though he has varying funds, thanks to the guilt of his parents, he doesn't have much inspiration and now leads a dull life. One night, he's taking a bicycle ride back to his father's place and he gets stuck in a storm. He takes a detour to a building and meets another teenager, round about his age. Joe left his family to come to the city for work, however quit soon after. He now lives in this building, running low on money. A lot of the book is dedicated to the racism Joe has fallen victim to and the misunderstanding people have towards his Aboriginal heritage.
It's all a bit cliché. Joe's reason for quitting was the hazing from some co-workers- having to go to the shops for striped paint (and other inexistent objects) is fairly overused in media, and laziness of others. Tony's circumstances are hardly original, either; parental divorce and neither of them seeming to care much about him. By the end of the novel, I feel like nothing much has happened. Yes, both kids have made changes in their lives and they feel as if they've drastically improved their circumstances. However, I don't really feel like there was anything inspirational or life changing to me. They become friends a little too easily; they meet and talk to each other about their lives. All of a sudden, they're "more than friends"; Tony considers him to be a brother. Okay... now I'm not in their shoes, but it just seems a little to soon to have that kind of special relationship. Also, after the fishing scenes, I feel like there's something I've missed. For a reason I must have missed, the teenagers are now no longer friends- even though Tony had considered him to be a brother. At school, a popular girl saw him with Joe over the weekend and kind of mocks him for it. Which I don't understand either; she says, "we know you don't go for white girls, Tony, but black boys - is that it?" What? Just because he hung out with an aboriginal doesn't mean that they're more than friends in a sexual manner, which is what I gather she was insinuating. A lot of these conversations and scenes just don't make much sense to me.
It was an alright book. I have read other works by Gary Crew prior to this. Previously, I've read both Gothic Hospital (I rated 4 stars) and Strange Objects (I rated 5 stars) - both worth a read, if you ever have the opportunity! In fact, I first read Strange Objects when it was assigned to us in high school and I was truly inspired by it. However, I felt that Inner Circle was... kind of lacking. Ultimately, I feel kind of disappointed. I had high hopes for it, but it was kind of lackluster.
It's all a bit cliché. Joe's reason for quitting was the hazing from some co-workers- having to go to the shops for striped paint (and other inexistent objects) is fairly overused in media, and laziness of others. Tony's circumstances are hardly original, either; parental divorce and neither of them seeming to care much about him. By the end of the novel, I feel like nothing much has happened. Yes, both kids have made changes in their lives and they feel as if they've drastically improved their circumstances. However, I don't really feel like there was anything inspirational or life changing to me. They become friends a little too easily; they meet and talk to each other about their lives. All of a sudden, they're "more than friends"; Tony considers him to be a brother. Okay... now I'm not in their shoes, but it just seems a little to soon to have that kind of special relationship. Also, after the fishing scenes, I feel like there's something I've missed. For a reason I must have missed, the teenagers are now no longer friends- even though Tony had considered him to be a brother. At school, a popular girl saw him with Joe over the weekend and kind of mocks him for it. Which I don't understand either; she says, "we know you don't go for white girls, Tony, but black boys - is that it?" What? Just because he hung out with an aboriginal doesn't mean that they're more than friends in a sexual manner, which is what I gather she was insinuating. A lot of these conversations and scenes just don't make much sense to me.
It was an alright book. I have read other works by Gary Crew prior to this. Previously, I've read both Gothic Hospital (I rated 4 stars) and Strange Objects (I rated 5 stars) - both worth a read, if you ever have the opportunity! In fact, I first read Strange Objects when it was assigned to us in high school and I was truly inspired by it. However, I felt that Inner Circle was... kind of lacking. Ultimately, I feel kind of disappointed. I had high hopes for it, but it was kind of lackluster.
February 13, 2015
Really boring to start with but I guess it picked up towards the end. Nothing that's dramatic though. Not a good English novel that's for sure.
June 9, 2010
Not bad. It mad me angry and happy and sad in all the right places and I began to care for both main characters. I liked it.
March 13, 2017
I thought this book was an interesting perspective on issues that are prominent in today's society. These issues include divorce, aboriginal rights and more.
May 9, 2022
I don't know that I really got the ending, but I feel a little bereft.
March 6, 2011
A fairly average Year 10 text.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews