I thought this was another book from when I was younger (you know, about actual dolphins...) but I was pleasantly surprised to find out it was about Dunkirk! That's one of my favourite stories from history.

The protagonists are about my age (17-ish), and I think the violence that comes later in the book is also not very suitable for people younger than 15. Then again, I read the Hunger Games at age 12 (not my mom's fault, I found it in a hotel), so maybe I'm being too protective of the smaller ones.

Anyway. I was glad that the book adressed issues like passivism (the kind where people don't wanna fight). The protagonist is mad that his older brother, Andrew, doesn't want to fight in the war, and has some pretty good arguments for it. Then, when he sees the death and destruction at Dunkirk and realises that's what his side would have to do as well, he sees why Andrew wouldn't want to be a soldier. Later, Andrew tells him he would have done the same (i.e. also go help evacuate soldiers from Dunkirk), showing he is no coward. In the end, the book makes no judgement but does make some very good points for both sides.

I wasn't so sure what I thought of John's mistrust of the boat caretaker. The man does turn out to be selling things on the black market, but other that he's okay. John, however, blackmails and dislikes him for some reason... it's a bit weird.

Spoiler

In the end, Pat dies. I don't have a problem with this, per se, because a lot of people died and that's the truth. But it annoyed me that this happened because he went back without John. He basically died off-screen, and it's the last major plot point in the book. This makes the ending, where John can feel no happiness because his friend is dead, just such a downer. I know it's a war and all, but it felt like it wasn't fitting: no focus on the fact that John's dad is suddenly there again (for some reason), no focus on all the soldiers John saved, just pain. And I understand that that's what it must be like. I just prefer a book that also gives the reader some hope.

All in all, I liked the book, despite some of my problems with the climax. It was a fun, but also very sad, image of what it was like there at Dunkirk. Definitely worth a read