View source for Hailey's War by Jodi Compton

{{infobox1
|title=Hailey's War
|author=Jodi Compton
|reviewer=Nicky Cole
|genre=General Fiction
|summary=Hailey Cain has certainly packed a lot into the first 23 years of her life and this makes for an involving, intriguing and at times slightly uncomfortable read. Well worth a look.
|rating=4
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=304
|publisher=Simon & Schuster Ltd
|date=May 2010
|isbn=978-1847373571
|cover=1847373577
|aznuk=1847373577
|aznus=1847373577
}}

At the beginning of the book, Hailey Cain is a 23 year old cycle courier
living in San Francisco. The story then takes a step back in time and we
discover that she had to leave West Point Military Academy during her
final year, for reasons she prefers to keep to herself. I continued to read under the assumption that Hailey had done something which forced her to leave. Her
next move is to L.A, where she spent the latter part of her childhood.
During these years, her mother with whom she has, at best, a very strained relationship is no source of comfort and Hailey develops a very close attachment to her cousin CJ. Aspects of this relationship make for uncomfortable reading at times.

The story coasts along, introducing more characters and we then discover
Hailey has had to leave LA, although again not the reason why. To be honest, my
interest level had waned a little by now but at the end of chapter five, in one
unexpected but short paragraph, we are given the reason. The abrupt way in
which this information is imparted works brilliantly and my interest was
instantly restored.

Hailey is close to Serena Delgadillo. On the surface they have very different
lives but develop a strong connection. Serena is the leader of a street gang and the completely matter of fact way in which the gang members view violence and death verges on the nonchalant and makes for intriguing but uneasy reading. This was well done and showed how deeply these two issues are ingrained in the gang members lives, but without becoming overly graphic or gratuitous. 

The mystery of why Hailey left West Point is a secret she appears determined to keep from everyone, no matter how close she is to them. It's not until the end of the book that it's explained

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, although I still can't decide how to
feel about Hailey. I think she is a complicated rather than complex
character but throughout the book there were times when I didn't know if I liked her. I'm still unsure about that but her story made for an enjoyable and interesting read.

I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to The Bookbag.

Further reading suggestion: Try [[Bleed For Me by Michael Robotham]]
or for a real life portrayal and insight into life as a gang member, [[Gang Leader For A Day by Sudhir Venkatesh]].

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