This novel, Jane Jago’s first, explores the seldom-discussed issue of violence perpetrated by children against children. It also looks at juvenile incarceration and rehabilitation, and to whom culpability should be ascribed when children commit crimes. Published at a time when the mistreatment of juvenile offenders in Northern Territory detention centres has hit the headlines and a Royal Commission is under way, The Wrong Hand is a disturbing yet relevant read.

The narrative, which is set in Australia, follows the story of three boys and their families as they live through a trauma reminiscent of the 1993 case of James Bulger, a British toddler killed by two 10-year old boys. The Wrong Hand, however, is a fictional account of the murder of three-year-old Benjamin at the hands of two 11-year-old boys, Danny and Graham. The disturbing details of the crime are explained, but Jago moves beyond the murder and its consequences for the boys involved to explore the impact that Benjamin’s death has on his parents, Rachel and Mathew. She also examines the broader themes of juvenile detention and post-detention life.

The chapters switch from the crime to the release of Danny and Graham from jail seven years after the murder and their reintegration into society as young adults. The lives of Rachel and Mathew are similarly followed.

By the time of the release of the two young offenders, Rachel and Mathew have divorced, and Rachel has remarried and is now the mother of other children with her new husband. Rachel makes efforts to move on with her life amid the daily challenges of reliving the loss of Benjamin. This is contrasted with Mathew’s determination to extract vengeance. Seeking to track down Danny and Graham as adults, Mathew is unable to let go; his preoccupation with the crime has crippled his life.Though peripheral, the impact of the crime on the families of Danny and Graham is well covered.

A fictional read in developmental psychology, The Wrong Hand is an emotionally explosive story in which the reader is permitted to understand the experience of each character – instead of revering some and demonising others.