Ben’s story is one of survival – at first on the run from police with his parents, but later his story becomes one of actual life-or-death survival in the wilderness. Having grown up in the suburbs, being confronted with the wilderness and Nature is one of Ben’s greatest fears. Yet in forcing him to face his fears Nature also becomes his saviour, helping him to see beyond his emotions and panicked state to the truth, to accept his situation and to embrace quiet and stillness. In the survival chapters in particular (pp. 183–226) we see Ben confront his fears and his attitudes changing from worry to ‘flatlining’ (p. 218) to an acceptance that: ‘Things could not rattle him so easily. Maybe not even death.’ (p. 228).
Key quotes
• ‘He had never spent time in the bush, had never left the suburbs. He did not want to go to the creek. The wilderness was his enemy.’ (p. 64)
• ‘Nature was real and true and terrible.’ (p. 67)
• ‘He knew that he would have no chance out here alone. Ben’s survival skills included hunting for leftovers in the fridge, lowering bread into the toaster and switching on the heater when it was cold. None of these talents would be useful here.’ (p. 69) • ‘Ben felt the force of the wild all around them. In the cawing of crows high in a dead tree and the relentless chirping of insects and the silence of the big blue sky. He was not sure if the force was for or against them. But it was there.’ (p. 194)
• ‘He had nothing. Just him, wilderness, Olive, fear. Fear was his fire, keeping him alert and alive. Growing up in a house in the suburbs, right next to a highway, had not prepared him for this. Playing thousands of hours of video games, watching hundreds of movies, playing soccer, helping out in the wrecking yard, watching game shows with Nan – none of it was useful to him now. Someone had pressed “reset” on his life. He had no pantry, no fridge, no shops, no cars, no lights, no bed, no blankets, no roof.’ (p. 199)
• ‘Ben looked around and breathed it all in. He had missed this place . . . He cupped his hands, dipped them in the water, splashed his face. It felt crisp and good, waking something inside him . . . [H]e should have felt bad about the place, but he didn’t. He knew now that everything bad would pass, and everything good. The creek flowed on. He splashed his face again and sat back on a rock, closing his eyes. He sat there for a long time, becoming so still he felt as though he had disappeared or had turned into one of the boulders he was surrounded by. Rocks that had been here forever.’ (pp. 261–262)
Ben’s weight is an issue for him – he knows he is ‘slightly overweight’ and he has been teased about it at school. His nan thinks it’s caused by ‘the rotten dinners his parents fed him from the burger chain on the corner’ (p. 4) and his mum tries to help by offering advice but she sometimes makes Ben feel worse about himself. As part of his character arc and because of the circumstances he finds himself in – having to survive with no food in the bush – Ben gradually overcomes his weight issues. At the end of the book we learn that he has been lifting weights, and has grown taller in the year following his ordeal. His new level of fitness plays a role in helping him to stand up to his dad’s bullying.
Below is a short film, Identity, written and directed by KJ Adames and produced by Stella Davis:
"Living in a world where everybody wears masks due to lack of self-identity, a brave girl encounters the truth that sets her free"
Ben wants to be a detective when he grows up, and he’s particularly interested in police work and procedures. His stop-animation film is about a detective called Ben Silver – Ben is using his film to live out his dream. And when the family are pulled over by police, Ben is given a business card with the police motto. What Ben learns about his family – in particular, that his dad and grandfather had criminal tendencies – shakes Ben to his core. He must ask himself: if being a police officer is about upholding the law and being truthful, can you become a police officer if you have made bad decisions or told lies? When the police arrive at the cabin, Ben must make the ultimate decision: whether to run towards them or away. His decision will affect his family and even his and his sister’s lives, and he may come to regret it – but he must also learn to live with his decisions, and, in the end, make amends and set things right.
Key quotes
• ‘Culpam Poena Premit Comes – the police motto. Something about honesty, truth, abiding by the law.’ (p. 171)
• ‘Ben had found the translation of this in a book – something like “Punishment follows closely on the heels of crime”. It had proven true but it was almost too simple and neat for Ben now, too black and white.’ (p. 270)
NSW Police Force Insignia
