Table Of ContentAbout the Book
You want this to be a love story? If someone hurts your sister and you’re any
kind of man, you seek revenge, right?
If your brother’s accused of a terrible crime but says he didn’t do it, you defend
him, don’t you?
When Mikey’s sister claims a boy assaulted her, his world begins to fall apart.
When Ellie’s brother is charged with the offence, her world begins to unravel.
When Mikey and Ellie meet, two worlds collide.
This is a brave and unflinching novel from the bestselling author of Before I Die.
It’s a book about loyalty and the choices that come with it. But above all it’s a
book about love.
jenny downham
Contents
Cover
About the Book
Title
Copyright
Dedication
Praise
Also by Jenny Downham
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Chapter Thirty-two
Chapter Thirty-three
Chapter Thirty-four
Chapter Thirty-five
Chapter Thirty-six
Chapter Thirty-seven
Chapter Thirty-eight
Chapter Thirty-nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-one
Chapter Forty-two
Chapter Forty-three
Chapter Forty-four
Chapter Forty-five
Acknowledgements
Before I Die
This eBook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced,
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those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
Version 1.0
Epub ISBN 9781409048206
www.randomhouse.co.uk
YOU AGAINST ME
A DAVID FICKLING BOOK 978 0 385 61350 7
Published in Great Britain by David Fickling Books,
a division of Random House Children’s Books
A Random House Group Company
This edition published 2010
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
Copyright © Jenny Downham, 2010
The right of Jenny Downham to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission
of the publishers.
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THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP Limited Reg. No. 954009
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
For HJD and AKD
Praise for Jenny Downham’s first book, Before I Die:
‘Before I Die is one of the year’s standout books.’ Sunday Age
‘This is a novel with enormous breadth and power … Highly recommended.’
Reading Time
‘A transcendent, remarkable work.’ Magpies
‘Before I Die is one of the finest, most carefully structured and astonishingly
assured novels I have read in a long time.’ Viewpoint
‘Downham takes the reader to the sticking place, the place which we never, ever
want to let ourselves see, but she does not leave us alone there.’ Courier-Mail
‘Jenny Downham writes with elegance and perception. Only an iron heart could
not shed a tear or have a chuckle. Tessa may be my favourite literary heroine.’
Daily Telegraph
‘This debut from a British writer is one of the standout reads of the year … A
shocking, absorbing and defiantly humorous story that is unsentimental and
deeply moving.’ The New Zealand Herald
‘Relentlessly detailed, totally honest and authentic, colossally carthartic.’ New
Zealand Listener
‘Dealing frankly with teenage life, Before I Die will be the year’s most talked-
about novel … Novels for young teenagers do not usually feature drugs and
casual sex within the first 20-odd pages. But most books for teenagers will not
leave an adult reader’s eyes so blurry with tears that it’s hard to see the final
chapters. Jenny Downham’s extraordinary first novel does both.’ Sunday Times
‘Downham’s prose is brave and bare, her characters relentlessly realistic.’
Sunday Telegraph
‘Destined to drive hundreds of thousands of readers to tears and to swift
injunctions to all their friends to read it … Yet the intolerability of what’s to
come spotlights a subtle truth, which Downham has captured well. That in life,
despite all the warnings, no one ever quite believes the ending.’ Observer
‘This is an affecting and brave novel. Tessa is such a rich character … For
everyone, it is a reminder to value the people that matter, seize the moment, wish
with courage, adventure with relish.’ Guardian
‘I don’t care how old you are. This book will not leave you.’ New York Times
‘The eloquent dying teen can seem a staple of the YA novel, but this British
debut completely breaks the mold. Downham holds nothing back in her
wrenching and exceptionally vibrant story.’ Publisher’s Weekly
‘In luminous prose that rings completely true, Downham earns every tear she
wrings from her readers. I trust there will be many of them – many readers, and
of course, many tears.’ Entertainment Weekly
