I haven’t gotten around to read this yet, my TBR is so long, sadly this got pushed back, but I’m hoping to get to it soon!

What a book! Not an easy story to read. It's Milo's story about his time in The Calais Jungle, how he survives against corruption, poverty, hunger, fear, criminals and so much more. This book really tugs at your heartstrings as you read how this boy is trying to survive. All the characters go through a transformation as the Jungle eats at them. They are people who are running for a better life. Shocking and heartbreaking. (this is quite an emotional review that I'll probably amend once I've slept!)

I was not prepared for this book. Even having read the description, even having heard about it, I was not ready for this to be so real. Unfairly, I also judged the title as it reminded me of my least favorite book in high school... same title but by Upton Sinclair. Thankfully they bear no resemblance to each other. 

"I hate it there. I hate that they call it the Jungle." She pointed to the houses. "We lived like that once. We went to school, went shopping, watched films. We didn't ask to leave our lives. Why can't they see that? We're just like them. But we might as well be from another planet."

The Jungle by Pooja Puri revolves around themes of hope, family and friendship, all neatly tucked into a horrifying contemporary issue. Mico is a young boy who has lost his family, lost everything really, and is trying to get somewhere safe. Through a deal gone bad with the Ghost Men, who were supposed to get him safely across borders--Mico ends up in a refugee camp in Calais, France. He lives in a tent with two other boys. The camp is dubbed "The Jungle". 

I would have liked a little more depth in the MCs, and at the same time, the words were often poetic and served to be as moving as any backstory. Plus, the starkness of meeting this characters as they are now instead of spending a long time on their history felt a bit refreshing too. Meet the characters where they are in their lives, their tent, their newly formed bonds of friendship and family, their redefining what it means to be a refugee, their struggle to find a way to freedom and their hope to thrive again, rather than just survive... it was all very worth the read. But understandably, this book is not the escape from reality that some may seek when they are reaching for their bookshelves. 

Overall, I don't know that I would have ever picked this book on my own in the bookstore, so I am thankful to NetGalley for making this read possible. If you are looking for a modern, relevant book, you may wish to check it out. 3.5/5.

"No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark... no one puts their children in a boat unless the the water is safer than the land" I remember reading this poem by Warsan Shire on the way to school, which found in the comments section of a Humans of New York post, if I remember correctly. Living in England through the Brexit vote and the rise of Trump, refugees are defining the politics of the world - this book is one to shake those wanting to "build a wall," not aggressively, just simply by being and by being so through the point of view of exactly those refugees.

In the Calais refugee camp aptly named "the Jungle," Puri introduces us to so many refugees with heartbreaking stories, but doesn't dwell on their pasts, but their role in the camp. Nevertheless, the main character is Mico, a young boy, and later on Leila, who I first labelled as the "love interest" but she is so!! Much more important than that.

Despite a lacking plot, this book is important because of the perspective it gives. There is no build-up, problem, and resolution because life in the Jungle doesn't wait for one problem to resolve itself before the next. Mico - and the reader - sees a friend successfully jump onto a train and then subsequently fall to his death mere seconds later, and then notices the repercussions of the outside world; more security around the train station. There is no problem and resolution here.

Another part of the plot is important but is something I won't mention, in order to keep this review spoiler-free (ok, asides from the top bit but that happens really early on so does it count?), and again is an ongoing project whilst other problems arise inside (and outside!) of the camp.

I kept turning the pages of this novel to learn more about the lives of Mico and Leila, not to find out the resolution of their problem, and perhaps more books should read like that.

//Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review//

The beginning of this book didn't hook me right away. I opened it, read a few pages, and ultimately closed it in favor of a different book that sounded more interesting. BUT. When I came back to this book and read more than one page, I was pulled into this world of refugees and bad men who exploit their desperation, of a friendship that can easily get so broken when love comes into play, and a little girl who turned everyone's lives upside down in the camp.

An amazing debut YA novel! This author effectively captures the precarious life experiences refugees face every day. Her skillful character development kept me rooting for unrealistic miracles.

The Jungle is a book about one of the most troubling issues affecting huge swathes of the World today, the movement of thousands of souls trying to escape poverty, despots or early death in the direct path of armed conflict.

What makes this book all the more important is that this is a book written for children and young Adults about Children. Set in The Jungle, the squalid camp in Calais where the refugees from many war torn regions congregated in the hope of reaching the United Kingdom, this is the story of a young boy as he waits for something, anything at all , to change to allow him to escape to England.

This is an unflinching examination of the duality of existence in a refugee camp, within spitting distance of the civilised lives of French neighbours and yet people are cramped in crude tents, fighting boredom, discrimination and each other to stay alive but fighting too to stay themselves, striving to be individuals in a crowd. A feat in itself for adults, you might think, but even harder for children.

Pooja Puri does a tremendous job in avoiding morality judgements or political bias, she just delivers a startling vignette in the lives of two children brought together in adversity, trying to be adults, dealing with brutality and deprivation years before their time, living on hope and bravado. This is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Every year I stumble across one book that leaves a deep impression, that moves me, and that stays with me for days, weeks, and sometimes even months. I already know that The Jungle will be that book for me in 2017. The Calais Jungle refugee camp, in which this story is set, was an actually existing camp that remained open until fall 2016. That fact adds a sense of realism to the story that might be responsible for the effect on the reader. This isn't just a made-up camp, a possibility. No, this book is representative of an experience millions of people have to go through at the moment.

To me, this book was perfect in every way. A compelling plot, lovable and relatable characters, and great pacing. Whenever I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down again until I really, REALLY had to. And that's amazing.

The author writes a stellar Deep POV that drew me in from the very first sentence. She has a beautiful, clean style but doesn't sacrifice prose whenever appropriate. I will most definitely keep an eye out for more of her books in the future, because if The Jungle is any indicator, her upcoming stories will be worth reading.

I'm a fan of stories that move me. But I'm also a fan of stories that feature characters who cannot be classified as either good or bad. And this novel offers just that. The story takes the reader on a journey they would not otherwise be able to take. It makes the reader question their own views and moral standards and leaves us with a striking question: how would having to flee war change us? What would we be willing to do to secure a future for us and our families?

The Jungle by Pooja Puri
Publisher: Ink Road

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This review is spoiler-free.

The Jungle was an interesting one for me. I'm not a big fan of contemporary YA, but I saw the subject matter and decided to read it:

There was a story Jahir used to tell me. About how the first humans were born with wings. Can you imagine what that would be like? To fly anywhere in the world without worrying about having the right papers?

Mico has left his family, his home, his future. Setting out in search of a better life, he instead finds himself navigating one of the world's most inhospitable environments the Jungle. For Mico, just one of many 'unaccompanied children', the Calais refugee camp has a wildness, a brutality all of its own.

A melting pot of characters, cultures, and stories, the Jungle often seems like its own strange world. But despite his ambitions to escape, Mico is unable to buy his way out from the 'Ghost Men' the dangerous men with magic who can cross borders unnoticed. Alone, desperate, and running out of options, the idea of jumping onto a speeding train to the UK begins to feel worryingly appealing.

But when Leila arrives at the camp one day, everything starts to change. Outspoken, gutsy, and fearless, she shows Mico that hope and friendship can grow in the most unusual places, and maybe, just maybe, they'll show you the way out as well.*

The Jungle is not a typical novel in that it doesn't quite follow the familiar novel format. It doesn't have a strong plot structure, it is more like opening a window into Mico's life in Calais. We don't see how he got there -- although we do eventually learn why he left his home. Instead, it is more like a behind the scenes look at the news stories that dominated in the UK through 2015 and 2016. Mico goes about his day and interacts with other refugees who are trying to survive in one way or another, the 'ghost men' who haunt the camp and charge huge amounts of money to traffic refugees into the UK, and eventually with Leila. The story really blossoms as the two of them become friends -- they get into all kinds of trouble, develop a bond, and share their hopes and fears. The Jungle doesn't feel like it has a real beginning or end; it gives you the sense that this has been happening for long before the events of the book and will continue long after the last page is turned.

Characterization is tough for this book. I walked away feeling like I didn't really know Leila or Mico as well as characters from other books. I know she is fierce and stubborn while he is cautious, yet lashes out when threatened, but I didn't feel a deep connection or understanding of who they really are. I think this may have been due in part to the fact that The Jungle is quite a short book. I also think that that isn't really what Puri was going for in writing this; you get a sense of the people and what they're living through. In that sense, a deep understanding of their inner feelings isn't really necessary, you need to see beyond the two of them in order to get the whole picture.

Puri's writing style is wonderful and strong. She doesn't shy away from issues like the poor quality of life that refugees suffer in these camps and the illegal immigration attempted by a few of them. While the book didn't quite resonate with me -- again, contemporary isn't quite my thing -- I do think that this is an important book to read despite your age or political leanings.

The Jungle offers a brief snapshot of what life is like for whose who have been forced from their home and the other side of the refugee crisis that we in Europe don't necessarily see beyond our TV screens.

Rating: 3/5

*Copy courtesty of Goodreads

"I hate it there. I hate that they call it the Jungle." She pointed to the houses. "We lived like that once. We went to school, went shopping, watched films. We didn't ask to leave our lives. Why can't they see that? We're just like them. But we might as well be from another planet."

I am very impressed with this book. Very, very impressed. I've been thinking about it a lot since I finished and this little one packs a punch. It's such a great story of hope and friendship and family. I LOVED IT.

Oh, but before I forget, **Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own (obviously, and also, why do we even have to say that?)**

Plot:
Now, there are a lot of things missing from this story. You have to fill in a lot of things for yourself in order to make the story make sense. But anyways, we have our main character, fifteen year old Mico, who has lost all his family. He is alone and looking to move countries to find a fresh beginning. And there are these people called the "Ghost-Men," who will take you across the border from your country, into either France or England. But these men make you pay A FORTUNE, and little Mico thinks he can make it, and ends up paying them. ONLY to get caught by the police and sent into ... some special kind of camp for foreigners? IT was never specified what it was called (besides the Jungle) and that really bugged me, but whatever. And in this camp, he is rooming in a tent with three other teenage boys as well, and they practically become his family. Yet he still has hope of making it into a different country, and getting free of this camp that he's in. Then everything changes when he meets young Leila. Now, this isn't an insta-love story because Leila utterly despised everyone to be honest. And it takes a LONG time for them to become friends and to end up trusting each other. So together they are trying to make a way to get out of this camp and into the world beyond. And all of this is packed into a TINY book, and it flies by really fast, but it's a great read for such a short book!

My Issues:
There was so much lacking in this story. SO much description and backstories to characters. There wasn't a lot of information regarding the camp and the situation which really killed this from getting a five stars. At times, the writing was very poetic and I loved that, but then at times, the punctuation was TERRIBLE. I don't understand if some spots got completely overlooked, or if they just didn't care enough to edit them. But those things sadly killed the five star rating.

Quotes:
"He had been told to find a new life, a safer one. But nobody had warned him how hard that might be. Nobody had told him that in order to live, he'd have to give up everything he loved."

"We're all here now. Who cares why? It's where we want to go that's important."

"We're all afraid of being fenced in."

"I have wanted much, Mico. To change the past, to put everything back to what it was. But some things are not so easy to fix. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how badly you want. It's never enough."

There were some really on point quotes in this book. Like I said, I am overly impressed with this story and hopefully it gets bigger than what it is!