Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Such a disappointment. This was one of the Guardian’s best 100 books or something, but it was just rubbish. The plot itself is obvious and heavy handed. The noughts are the white people and the crosses are the black people. And they have reversed roles so that the noughts are victimized by the racist crosses. There’s nothing more to it than that, all tied up in a first person teenage love story that reads like a thirteen year old’s dear diary. Ordinary writing, no characterization to speak of, no nuance, no surprises: really, really disappointing. Blah. I want my money and my time back!