Being (review)

What's supposed to be a routine medical procedure suddenly upends the life of sixteen-year-old Robert Smith: the anesthetized boy hears startled medical personnel trying to make sense of his apparently man-made internals ("Some kind of plastic . . . silvery filaments") and then pulls himself out of anesthesia to break away from not only doctors but also the mysterious gun-toting authority, Ryan, who is witnessing the endoscopy. Now Robert is on the run, wondering where he came from and whether he's really human. When Ryan plants a story in the newspapers that Robert is wanted for murder, Robert turns to Eddi, a criminal acquaintance who specializes in phony IDs, and when she accidentally shoots one of Ryan's colleagues she's inextricably involved with Robert's drama. The two flee to her secret hideout in Spain, but can they really escape whatever plot created and now seeks Robert? British author Brooks is well established as a writer of taut and dangerous YA fiction, and he's got an intriguing premise here. The on-the-lam plot has classic thriller appeal, and Eddi makes for a sexy and enigmatic compatriot (Robert never fully 'fesses up to her about the source of his troubles, but she keeps her own secrets as well). Since it's clear their Spanish idyll can't be the end, the final violence is predictable, but readers will likely be divided on whether the conclusion wherein nobody, including Robert and the reader, gets any answers is a let-down or a satisfying nihilistic statement. Those who've enjoyed the straightforward thriller aspects will hope for a sequel that casts some light on the proceedings, while others may find it sufficient to enjoy the wild ride and contemplate the questions raised.