Books that lead to sequels are good news and bad news bundled into one. Good news because a sequel means that there's more where this came from, and bad news because the author is not obligated to resolving the plot by the time the book is over.
"Tunnels" falls into this category, and it is more than a little annoying that we still don't know what's going on at the end of its 463 pages. But, because this is an intriguing story — and a deftly told one — something tells me that its noncommittal conclusion will be forgiven.
Fourteen-year-old Will, our albino hero, doesn't like going to school or hanging out with the other boys — not when he gets called "Frosty the Snowman" and "Chalky," because of a problem with his skin pigmentation. His only friend, Chester, is a misfit like him, who gets called "Snake Arse" because of the patches of eczema on his body. Home isn't a refuge, not when his mother spends all day watching sitcoms and his younger sister, Rebecca, holds down the fort and lords it over him.