Reviews of Spider

Mary Arrigan, Irish Examiner, 2 Oct 2008

“In Spider by Linda Strachan the author skilfully juggles the voices of three very different teenagers - Spider, Andy and Deanna - to create a pacy, touching story that never palls. The eponymous hard man Spider is the family mainstay as he stands up to his drunken father’s violence towards Mum and younger siblings. Best mate Andy has a deep secret that constantly haunts him. Deanna’s upper-class parents are horrified when they discover their daughter’s involvement with a low life’ like Spider. It’s Deanna who insists on doing the ritual Run - ie racing through a narrow alley in a stolen car. The consequences of that are what bind the story in a compelling, insightful intertwining of credible characters. A triumph of teenage fiction.”

Anne Johnstone, The Herald, 3 Oct 2008

“Spider could have been a good kid but, trapped by depression and anxiety,his life starts spinning out of control. The thrill of whipping through the night air like an arrow, at the wheel of a stolen car, is the ultimate escape but nearly costs not only his own life but those of his pregnant girlfriend and his best mate. Fast-paced and uncompromising, this shocking story, mostly played out over a few fateful hours, alternates between the voices of the three main characters, whose lives will never be the same.”

Keith Gray, The Scotsman, Oct 2008

“…it’s an intense ride. You can almost hear the wheels spin, smell the tyres burn.”