This is one of the best books I've read this year. It's worth breaking down into the six core competencies:
Character: This is probably the strongest part because the protagonist is interesting and has a secret past. I liked the character's honesty, especially when it came to the illegal and immoral things he did.
Concept: What if a traumatized child who didn't talk got sucked into a life of crime? Would he be able to escape and find a normal life?
Plot Structure: This book had an unusual plot structure, with one story leading up to the protagonist's entrance into the life of crime, and the other starting from that point and moving forward. The two stories alternated and the book ended when the two stories linked together. This structure was interesting but it's not clear that it added anything to the story that a straightforward chronological telling wouldn't have had.
Scene Construction: This part was well done with the author quickly getting into the interesting part of the scene and keeping the reader's attention.
Writing Voice: The story is told first person; we get to hear a lot of his inner thoughts which makes it interesting and which makes us care about him.
Theme: There was no overt theme, and I was okay with that. The story was really a coming-of-age tale for a troubled boy, and that was enough because it was done well.
