The Boys Who Saved the World
by Sam Mills
Faber and Faber HK$115
Sam Mills' The Boys Who Saved the World concerns the troubles of a handful of teenagers who have joined a new religion called Hebetheus. Led by Jeremiah - whose pronouncement 'You are with us or against us' recalls US President George W. Bush's call for support in the fight against terror - it's a group that tries to live according to its holy book, which encourages misogyny and, by extension, frowns on sex. Narrated by Jon, a 16-year-old who, like many of his 'brothers', has had a troubled upbringing, the story centres on the abduction of a Hindu girl called Padma (codenamed Snake). 'Jeremiah warned us [she] was planning to plant a bomb in the school,' Jon explains. 'Adults refused to believe us. So we kidnapped her and sent out a video.' When no one takes the group seriously, members must act to win the war on terror. Absurd yet believable, the group's ambitions to bring peace to the world resonate, especially at a time when untold crimes are being perpetrated in the name of religion. Mills has written a book aimed at teenagers but suitable also for adults that demonstrates how certain issues transcend age.
