Set in a State High school in QLD is teacher Paul Bush and his students who are in their last year. A disgruntled student does something devastating during a one-hour lunchtime which has devastating consequences changing Paul Bush’s life and impacting the students around him.

If you’re not a teacher, you will appreciate how difficult this profession is and if you are then a lot of this will hit home. Walker delivers believable characters in a genuine setting of a busy high school. It’s a compelling read and the writing captures the atmosphere brilliantly.

Each chapter represents a brief time block in the hour and at times it’s hard to believe so much happens within that time. Yet it seems to work considering it’s a fairly short novel.

The only down side is the number of characters and because I read this over a couple of days,  I was able to keep up and remember them all—just.

It’s a brave world out there in schools and I take my hat off to all the wonderful teachers who try to do the best they can.

Check this one out.