The Rotters’ Club follows the lives of a group of teenagers at a high school in Birmingham, England. The book shifts from one character to the other dissecting different aspects of teenagers in their adolescents. These teenagers are faced with different upheavals but the author fails to disclose whether they survive their challenges.
For instance, Ben Trotter is the top student in his class, he dreams of becoming an esteemed novelist and artist. As he chases his dreams, his path disrupted; his older sibling survives a bomb attack which makes him question humanity. On the other hand, his classmate Doug is dealing with the aftermath of his parents’ divorce. His mother left after realizing her husband was cheating on him with a young woman who later disappears. Their friend Philip is also facing similar challenges, his art teacher is trying to pursue his mother and Philip is caught in between. There is also a rise in racism in the country and one teen, Steve Richards, becomes a victim of the social injustice in the area.
The novel drifts through dissimilar characters teeming with teenage obsessions and emotions. As the story develops, Ben and his friends follow their destinies discovering the world differently from their secure little outlook. However, the author ends the novel without revealing whether the characters actually live up to their dreams.
