Bradley, in contrast, has found that the facade he sees in the mirror has given him so much power and control that he’s turned on by the thoughts it inspires. Although the third might have done given the chance, only two men had ‘beaten, belittled, accused and humbled’ Billy. The church leader, the pimp and the middle manager aren’t the same as each other. The final chapter reminds us that we can be oblivious to what’s going on around us. Does Symon give the reader what they want? Possibly, but in a way that makes us complicit and stops us from walking away complacently. There is a set of redemptions at the end, but not universally so. And, in the end, Max and Harry give us other notions of masculinity to balance against the unholy trinity that wish to dominate Billy. Determination, that is, and the faceless kindness of strangers. It is his determination against all that is thrown at him that makes us believe that redemption may be possible. We learn that the cause of Max’s homelessness is a tragedy that has stripped him of his mental health. Max is estranged from his family: he needs help from his son Harry but won’t tell him the white lie that would make the reconciliation easier. Billy and Max seem the most truthful, and much of the tension of the novel is about whether they are able to keep enough of their spirit to give it voice. We are challenged to think about our authenticity to those around us.Īfter all, most of us do have agency: the power to act in our own lives, to listen when others speak and to tell the truth. Most characters in the book are unknown to almost everyone around them. Symon is making a wider point about power imbalances in society. But Bradley is faceless too: he has what he tells himself is a ‘facade…to a creature of power, a superman, a god’. Indeed, we learn the back stories of both Billy and Max only over time, as the masks that they have carefully assembled have to be peeled away in order to survive. It’s a commonality for the street homeless in a city to be dismissed as ‘faceless’ especially by the authorities, and that certainly happens here. The contrasts in their waxing and waning fortunes and mental states carries the reader through the plot at high speed. For Billy, her friend Max and her captor Bradley, the time period in the novel is transformational. Part of the reason for that is an unusual four-character narrative format, slipping between points of view with varying levels of depth and audience appeal. But I found myself cantering through the novel. Lasky masterfully spins a tale filled with mystery, suspense, and intrigue that will have readers hooked.įaceless is also a springboard for the study of Word War II, with special interest to classrooms that would like to teach subjects such as Hitler, the Nazi regime, and anti-Nazi resistance.A novel which centres on an exploration of toxic masculinity and of personal agency is not going to be a light read and some of the violence is shocking. This upper middle grade novel is a mix of espionage and historical adventure and will appeal to fans of Elizabeth Wein and Ruta Sepetys. Now, as Alice faces her most dangerous assignment yet, she fears discovery, but, most of all, she fears losing her own sister. But Louise wants to live an ordinary life and leaves the agency. They’re growing up in wartime England, where the threat of Nazi occupation is ever near. They are, essentially, faceless.Īlice and Louise Winfield are sisters and spies in the Tabula Rasa. They can pass unseen through enemy lines and “become” other people without being recognized. Over the centuries, a small clan of spies called the Tabula Rasa has worked ceaselessly to fight oppression. “With a well-detailed historical backdrop and a puzzling familial mystery, this novel delivers intrigue.” - Publishers Weekly “A page-turner, particularly for readers intrigued by WWII.” -Booklist “Fascinating and riveting, especially for history buffs and spy aficionados.” - Kirkus Newbery Honor winner Kathryn Lasky, author of the Guardians of Ga’hoole series, delivers a riveting adventure about young British spies on a secret mission in Germany in WWII.
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