The shiny guys by Doug MacLeod

"'Wouldn't it be funny if they were real?'
'Shiny red men?'
'What if I were the sane one and everyone else was mad?'

One night, the shiny guys visit fifteen-year-old Colin Lapsley.  They don't speak, but Colin can read their thoughts.  They want him to pay for the terrible thing that he has done.  When the shiny guys won't go away, Colin is admitted to ward 44.  There he discovers an alien world, a powerful weapon, a gentle giant, and a girl who may be able to see what he can see."

Set in a psychiatric ward in 1985, this amazing book is funny, challenging and thought provoking. Colin is a wonderful protagonist with a great sense of humor who finds himself in ward 44 after a family tragedy.  Everyone in the ward has their own issues -  such as Mango (Colin's best friend), who has a problem with hugging people; Jill, who apologizes to everyone for everything; Len, who is universally hated, and Anthea, the beautiful new girl.

The shiny guys is one of the best books I have read this year. It is a story which stays with you long after you have finished reading.

Caroline @ Kew.
 
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