Heaven Sent by Xavier Leret

Heaven Sent by Xavier Leret

Goodreads synopsis:

Sixteen year old Carlo has no experience of the world. He desperately wants eternity to provide an alternative to the strict moral imperative of his Catholic parents. When Daizee Byatt, a girl from the other side of the tracks, crashes into Carlo's life, the course of his future veers off the road. This is the story of what Heaven Sent.


Review:
I really didn't know what to expect when I decided to review this book - well that's not altogether true.  I suppose I did naturally made some assumptions from the synopsis, but whatever I thought...I was wrong.  This is the story of two kids from two different worlds, drawn together by nature's law: opposites attract. Carlo comes from an obnoxiously straight-laced family and Daizee is a girl from the streets.  When their two worlds collide, Daizee discovers what it's like to be loved (no matter what) and Carlo finds a strange solace in  Daizee's chaos.


Without giving too much away, I must say that the floor of Carlo's world drops from beneath him.  He finds himself in situations (sometimes willingly) that he is ill-equipped to handle.  There is nothing remotely cool or street smart about this kid, he has no concept of what it means to defend or protect himself in Daizee's world.  He quite literally flies by the seat of his pants and ends up facing circumstances from which there is no possibility for escape.  


The subject matter is very dark, but compelling. I really enjoyed the complexity of the characters and the blatant contrast of their lives.  Daizee's dialect was difficult for me at first (I sometimes had to read it aloud), but I ultimately enjoyed the grittiness  and dimension that it added to her character. 

I give it: 


You can visit Xavier Laret's blog at  www. xavierleret.com .  Heaven Sent is available for Kindle on Amazon and wherever e-books are sold.


I received this book free from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.