Reviews of 'The Cave'
Susanne Gervay's novel is deceptively moving and powerful, all the characters richly drawn and her description of camp life so realistic you feel you are living it. Highly recommended.
Good Reading Magazine
The sensational new book, 'The Cave' is a compelling, confronting and important book that examines what it means to be young and male in the 21st Century.
Queensland Booksellers
In the tradition of Lord of the Flies, Susanne Gervay's 'The Cave' looks at the dynamics in a group of boys on an eight day survival camp."
Sunday Herald Sun (Melbourne)
'The Cave' by Susanne Gervay is also a story of a journey. This time it is a group of teenage boys on a survival camp in a mountainous region. Their grueling physical challenge is complicated by the aggression between them and the disparity in their readiness for the task. Told in the voice of one of the boys, it feels like an authentic trip into an adolescent mind. I found it refreshingly honest and beautifully written."
Spectrum The Sydney Morning Herald
'Surviving the wilderness is tough - surviving each other is tougher.' The author herself acknowledges 'The Cave' was a brave new journey into adolescent male culture: an emotional, funny and perilous journey.
There are no compromises as she explores various aspects of that culture: Rave parties, extreme challenges, sport, sexuality, aggression, bravado, bullying, love and loss. As a group of young high school males confront one another, and themselves on an eight-day survival camp. Organised through their all-boys school, the potential for violence and courage is never far below the surface.
The writing is clear, evocative and powerful. The characters, particularly Sam, are well developed and believable. The various literary devices used through the book work effectively. This is a novel which needed to be written and needs to be read."
Reading Time.