Daisy's mum is gone. Her dad refuses to talk about it. As far as Daisy is concerned, it's all her fault. As her life starts to spiral out of control, panic leads to tragedy and Daisy's left alone.
The prologue of the book instantly hooks the reader in as it is very hard-hitting. You instantly want to know whether or not everything was Daisy's fault, or whether she is confused and it was down to somebody else.
The first part of the book reveals how deep Daisy's relationship with her father is. We discover that Daisy isn't one of the most popular people at her school and that she prefers to blend in to the background. She was coping with things well until she finds a report about her mother's death; she then thinks it was all her fault. Daisy struggles to cope with this news and starts to self-harm. I think this is the best written part of the book as Phil Earle is writing based on past experience and he makes it feel very real. As the book continues Daisy's life keeps getting worse. On the arrival of a new school teacher things start to look up, but unfortunately he takes quite a shine to Daisy. He spins a web of lies that end up causing a dreadful accident and Daisy is left alone. Emotion runs high in these chapters and it is very well written as the author manages to make the reader feel very emotional and sorry for Daisy.
The rest of the book is about Daisy's recovery. The reader feels for Daisy throughout as we follow Daisy on a difficult and sad journey of loss, self harming, bullying and depression. Phil Earle has succeeded in telling a compelling and satisfying story.
Saving Daisy is a very emotional book, full of real life issues. I would recommend this book for 13+ girls as it is more of a feminine book and it contains content that could be unsuitable for younger readers. I think that with Saving Daisy and his other books, Phil Earle has really put himself at the forefront of teenage literature.
After reading Saving Daisy, Phil Earle has become one of my favourite authors.
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