review
This fantastic adventure follows two young misfits on a wild and wonderful journey across Germany. Sean, an eighteen-year-old Iranian asylum-seeker, and Davy, an eight-year-old runaway, are thrown together in this thrilling and immersive read, a fictional version of a real-life story.
When Sean and Davy witness an armed robbery in which the victim is shot and seriously injured, Sean instinctively calls the police for help. The boys then realise they need to flee the scene of the crime as their backgrounds could land them in trouble, despite their innocence. They set off on a stolen bicycle first to Cologne, then Munich. Their summer road trip is long and complicated, involving many forms of transport, passersby both helpful and otherwise, and the ongoing hunt for food. The pair are pursued by the robbers and the police, Sean finds himself distracted by a beautiful woman who ultimately steals all his money, and the boys forge a strong and close bond as they begin to depend on each other more and more.
Gas Station Chips has all the humour, suspense and highs and lows a reader could hope for in a classic epic tale.
All recommendations from Autumn 2018