“Truth or dare?”

What would you choose? A group of six teenagers huddled together one evening in a public garden are playing Spin the Bottle (without a bottle), but not one of them opts for ‘truth’. They all would rather face ‘dares’, even if it means, as in the case of Andrea taking off her bra, or in the case of Miguel, posting on Facebook that he’s gay.

Then, suddenly they hear screeching of tyres: a young woman driving down the lane past the garden, skids, is thrown off her motorbike and lands close to them. The six teenagers end up at the police station, a report is filed and an investigation opened.

Was it a mere incident? Not really, no. And one of the teenagers on site knows the truth. But will anyone dare try and dig deep to find out the truth? And what does the silent, observant gecko have to do with all of this?

(Ri)ġenerazzjoni by Antoinette Borg, won the first prize in the Young Adult Literature Competition organised by Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and the National Book Council.

This is Borg’s second Young Adult novel, following her prize-winning Fittixni, which shot straight up the bestseller list. Borg was described by veteran author Trevor Żahra as having “the rare quality of powerful pen, elegant Maltese and the perfect turn of phrase”.

(Ri)ġenerazzjoni  is mainly about the process of growth through shedding of the old and embracing of the new. “The novel focuses on the challenges experienced in adolescence, which is one of the most difficult transitions humans go through, generation after generation,” says Borg.

She also weaved in her fascination with geckos, which has a symbolic role in the novel.

“I know some people find them disgusting, but I’m in awe of the gecko’s extraordinary capacity for regeneration, especially when it loses a part of its body,” says Borg.

(Ri)ġenerazzjoni is a teenage-friendly novel published by Merlin Publishers, ideal for all those who enjoyed books like Riħ Isfel and Gramma and is available from all the bookshops or directly online from merlinpublishers.com.