BOOK REVIEW: Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton

Three hours is 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds.

It is a morning's lessons, a dress rehearsal of Macbeth, a snowy trek through the woods.

It is an eternity waiting for news. Or a countdown to something terrible.

It is 180 minutes to discover who you will die for and what men will kill for.

In rural Somerset in the middle of a blizzard, the unthinkable happens: a school is under siege. Told from the point of view of the people at the heart of it, from the wounded headmaster in the library, unable to help his trapped pupils and staff, to teenage Hannah in love for the first time, to the parents gathering desperate for news, to the 16 year old Syrian refugee trying to rescue his little brother, to the police psychologist who must identify the gunmen, to the students taking refuge in the school theatre, all experience the most intense hours of their lives, where evil and terror are met by courage, love and redemption. 

Publisher: Viking

Pages: 320

This book is intense from start to finish. Three Hours is an astonishing read from Rosamund Lupton, I cannot stop thinking about it. A school in rural Somerset is under seige in the middle of a snow storm. We follow different characters as they are terrorised for the next three hours in a horrific ordeal which could quite easily happen in real life. Each chapter is told from a different perspective, the wounded headmaster being cared for in the library by the students he is unable to protect; the drama teacher hiding children in the school theatre and distracting them by rehearsing Macbeth; the pregnant detective tasked with getting this extraordinary event under control and the Syrian refugee desperately trying to find his frightened younger brother within the school grounds without getting caught.

Lupton has you gripped and does not let go for the entire book. I was so impressed with the feelings she was able to evoke in me as a reader from shock and fear to admiration and awe. This book is about both sides of the story, Lupton explores fear and courage and how one can very easily lead to the other and sometimes with extremely negative consequences.

It is easy to tell that Three Hours has been impeccably researched, Lupton describes the processes carried out by the different members of the police force, the devastating effects of PTSD and the ways in which fragile minds can be manipulated. This book is so relevant to the times we live in and I think it particularly shows the importance of how we educate our children about the issues faced within society. They are the ones who are going to grow up and shape the future; the headmaster in the book has been trying to do just with his pupils but he comes to see how difficult that is and how easily his message can be undermined. 

Rosamund Lupton has written a realistic and terrifying thriller that will leave you with so much to consider. I was so invested in the story and felt terrified for those trapped within the school, the twists and turns towards the end are astonishing and beautifully executed. Do not miss out on this heartbreaking and thoughtful book.