Hello, and welcome to a new series I’m planning on starting here at ImpishIdea, where I will write, hopefully regular, reviews of books that I am either reading, or have read previously.

It does take a lot to disappoint me (congrats Inheritance and Twilight), and I do generally enjoy looking on the bright side of a lot of books. Hence why I might review books higher than some, so please bear that in mind if you know your standards are higher. I read all kinds of genres: SF, fantasy, crime, action, mystery, historical etc. although there will probably be of a bias towards fantasy and SF, can’t change my roots, heh.

The rating system will be pretty standard, out of five stars, but because we are a literary themed website, it is far more appropriate to use books instead.

And so, to our first book…

Keeper by Mal Peet

va va voom

“I tell you this: you will do things that now seem impossible now only because you cannot imagine them. Because you do not believe in them. But you will do them, and afterward you will be amazed that you ever doubted yourself. Now, let me ask you that question. Which are you? Are you the jaguar or the deer?”
“The jaguar,” I said. What else could I say?

Without having first read Tamar (more on that later) also by Mal Peet, I don’t think I would have even considered reading this book. I am glad that I didn’t know what it was about before I got Keeper (and its sequel, The Penalty), because I don’t think even Peet’s name would have enticed me to read it. A book about football? The most interested I ever am about football is when Thierry Henry is around… drool during the European Championships and the World Cup, mostly because it is fun to cheer along with fellow Britainlanders. I know nothing about the finesse, or skill that football requires, and the offside rule is way, way, WAY beyond my ken.

In premise it sounds absolutely ridiculous: a ghost footballer from the jungle teaching an Ambiguous South American Country kid how to be a goalkeeper. I was very sceptical at first, and even now it makes me laugh, but I found it to be a pleasant read.

El Gato, a world famous keeper, has just secured the World Cup for his team. He is being interviewed by Paul Faustino, a veteran football reporter. Throughout the night of this exclusive interview, Gato tells Faustino his story.

Brought up in a village on the edge of the jungle, at 13 years old Gato soon quits playing football with the village boys, as he is gangly and clumsy. Whilst the boys play football, Gato takes to wandering in the forest and finds a clearing with a goal set up, meeting the ghostly Keeper. Taken under his wing, and through harsh training, Gato’s innate skill as a goalie is revealed and honed. Talented-spotted, Gato leaves for the city, and the national team, but he never forgets the Keeper and his secret.

Whilst not a great feat of literature, Keeper is enjoyable, even to those who have little interest in football. The writing is solid, akin to Anthony Horowitz’s style, it’s in too much of a rush to worry about purple prose. Yet this isn’t a bad thing, like Horowitz (and Applegate), the precise writing is enough to set the scene, and the story does run away with you. It is left up to the reader to really create and imagine the world in their heads. However, the writing does tend to favour the melodramatic, especially at the end of chapters. It’s like every chapter ends with someone standing behind you going DUN DUN DUUUUUN! Although this is great for soundbites, it does become a bit cynically tiresome after a while.

Although it is very much a tale of two characters (even then, the Keeper doesn’t get much of a look in), the characterisation is also solid, Gato is presented as the typical Arthurian knight: brave, true and honest, and above all, dedicated to his game. Yet, due to his initial constant self-doubt, Peet draws the reader in, wanting Gato to succeed and to realise his own talent; the classic underdog tale.

Although Keeper is quite obviously aimed at teenaged boys, it is nonetheless a story that will not disappoint the average reader. Whilst I wouldn’t exactly recommend you go out and buy it RIGHT NOW, if you’re stuck looking for a book at the library and want an easy read, you could do a whole lot worse.

Final rating: three out of five books

Three out of five books

~

PS: Props go to my football-mad friend Craig for admonishing me about my football terminology in this review.

PPS: I may be football ignorant, but I do know that Thierry Henry can va va voom me anytime.


Va_Va_Voom
Uploaded by desiree3007. -

PPPS: Yes, this review was totally an excuse to watch that advert and say “va va voom”. Oh, he makes me smile.

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Comment

  1. Puppet on 10 August 2009, 11:54 said:

    In premise it sounds absolutely ridiculous: a ghost footballer from the jungle teaching an Ambiguous South American Country kid how to be a goalkeeper. I was very sceptical at first, and even now it makes me laugh, but I found it to be a pleasant read.

    A ghost? Rolls eyes Also you spelled skeptical wrong. ;)

  2. Jeni on 10 August 2009, 12:08 said:

    Oh ho ho, I think not, Amerikan.

  3. Creature_NIL on 10 August 2009, 14:41 said:

    do they really spell skeptical like that over there?

  4. SlyShy on 10 August 2009, 19:08 said:

    Hurrah! Stuff about good books. :D We’ve been wanting that around here.

  5. Steph the Sue on 10 August 2009, 21:02 said:

    @ NIL: cyes cwe cdo.

    Jeni? Hands off The Host.

  6. sansafro187 on 11 August 2009, 03:11 said:

    do they really spell skeptical like that over there?

    That wasn’t even the most egregious typo. She kept putting “football” when she really meant “soccer.” I don’t know how somebody makes that mistake.

    Good review except for the thing I just pointed out.

  7. Jeni on 11 August 2009, 05:18 said:

    Jeni? Hands off The Host.

    You’re welcome to it. >:D

    She kept putting “football” when she really meant “soccer.” I don’t know how somebody makes that mistake.

    F*$%^&*£%$!!!!!!

    (Can be translated as “[expletive expletive] AMERIKANS.”

    ;D

  8. LucyWannabe on 11 August 2009, 10:49 said:

    THIS American calls it football…but then, I’m Latino, so that probably has something to do with it. ;)

    Nice article! I wasn’t aware of this book before, but I’ve been a bit out of the loop when it comes to anything not sci-fi or fantasy. I’ll keep it in mind for when I need a light read. :)

  9. Moldorm on 11 August 2009, 16:36 said:

    Finally! Someone who can spell “sceptical” correctly!

  10. Virgil on 11 August 2009, 17:17 said:

    It’s with a K!!!

    Uncouth Bri’ish.. >:(

  11. Elanor on 11 August 2009, 17:41 said:

    I, for one, don’t understand why the hell American football is called football anyway. You use your foot for punting the ball, and not much else besides running. It’s more like rugby. Plus armour.

  12. Snow White Queen on 11 August 2009, 17:44 said:

    I’m American and even I don’t get it.

  13. sansafro187 on 11 August 2009, 18:25 said:

    I, for one, don’t understand why the hell American football is called football anyway. You use your foot for punting the ball, and not much else besides running. It’s more like rugby. Plus armour.

    Because, dammit! It’s *FOOTBALL !!*

  14. Steph (what is left) on 12 August 2009, 00:01 said:

    Am adding a new contender. Australian Footy League.

  15. Moldorm on 12 August 2009, 04:59 said:

    Is that played with feet and a ball, or hands and armour?

  16. Steph the one who sucketh at lurking well. eth. on 12 August 2009, 05:51 said:

    It’s a lot like American football, but no armour. Instead they run around in tighty-whities and sustain hamstring injuries with alarming frequency.

    Then they get dacked a lot (Puppet, close your eyes!)

    They also fight a lot.

    (Tee-hee. This one’s funny because it’s the Dockers fighting the Eagles, and everyone in WA goes for one team or the other.)

    Also, they get pulled up for drug use koff*Ben Cousins*koff

  17. Jeni on 12 August 2009, 05:58 said:

    SEE, this is why football is zee best, none of those players are as smexy as Thierry Henry saying va va voom in your ear.

    <3

  18. Steph the one who sucketh at lurking well. eth. on 12 August 2009, 09:11 said:

    I have to say, you’re completely wrong about Thierry Henry’s smexiness.

  19. sansafro187 on 12 August 2009, 14:05 said:

    They also fight a lot.

    I just assumed that all sports involving Australians involved lots of fighting :x

  20. Northmark on 12 August 2009, 19:07 said:

    I was just busted on a few days ago for correcting a “sceptical”, you guys aren’t alone. D:

    Very good article though, I can’t wait to see more of these. I read Tamar and liked it quite a bit, how did you think it was?

  21. NeuroticPlatypus on 12 August 2009, 22:43 said:

    Nice article. I didn’t know that you spelled “skeptical” with a “C” in England, hmmm.

    Back on topic, I liked this review. It was short and to the point, unlike a lot of reviews that go on and on forever. I’m looking forward to the next one. =)

  22. Steph the Wailing Banshee on 13 August 2009, 00:18 said:

    I just assumed that all sports involving Australians involved lots of fighting :x

    scoffs you can talk! America’s the country that can’t play football without armour, and has fake wrestling. At least our fights are genuine.

  23. sansafro187 on 13 August 2009, 01:05 said:

    football without armour

    If they suddenly banned pads in football there would be at least a dozen deaths at the professional level every year, probably even more than that at the college level.

    fake wrestling

    So do Canada, Japan, and Mexico!

  24. Steph on 13 August 2009, 03:03 said:

    If they suddenly banned pads in football there would be at least a dozen deaths at the professional level every year, probably even more than that at the college level.

    And good riddance.

    So do Canada, Japan, and Mexico!

    And none of them are Australia or England, are they?

    grins evilly

  25. The Tiler on 13 August 2009, 04:26 said:

    Just so you know, staged wrestling isn’t the only kinds that we have up here in Canada. There’s collegiate as well. And we have both rugby (Australian footy, as it was called before in the comments) and a modified American football… Hell, you name the sport, and Canada has it.

  26. Steph the one who sucketh at lurking well. eth. on 13 August 2009, 05:39 said:

    No, rugby’s different to Australian Rules.

  27. Jeni on 13 August 2009, 06:53 said:

    @Northmark: as I said, more on that later. I didn’t want to scare people off with my OMG!OBSESSED!LOVE!twitchtwitchtwitch.

    Preview: Yoyo is love.

  28. SMARTALIENQT on 14 August 2009, 15:56 said:

    Is it a bad thing that I’m an American and sceptical looks more “right” to me than skeptical?

    Then again, I used to spell favorite f-a-v-o-u-r-i-t-e, so….

    Awesome artcicle, Jeni! Do another one!

  29. Virgil on 16 August 2009, 11:59 said:

    @Elanor: Rugby is an awesome game.