At a time when the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service is under strain and in desperate need for government funding, David Owen's debut novel, Panther, is a timely YA novel. Panther is a powerful and unsentimental look at depression for youngsters ... the issue of mental health is dealt with in a candid and deft way. Telegraph Owen writes an emotional story which focuses on the impact of teen depression on the rest of the family. Sun In his powerful, gripping debut Panther, he announces himself with a bang... The author's focus on his subject matter is similarly all-encompassing and remarkable in its uncompromising approach... YA is in great hands with Owen and I expect not only that he will be an author to watch but that Panther will be a title to watch this year. We Love This Book Good lord but Panther is a powerful story. Mental health is a big subject to tackle and David Owen has waded right into it with admirable fearlessness... Panther is incredibly moving but it isn't at all sentimental. And, at time when we are only just beginning to understand the costs of failing mental health, particularly on the young, we need these illuminating stories. Bookbag.co.uk David Owen's Panther is an extraordinary and gripping examination of the impact of depression on a whole family. One of the most impressive things about this textured and sensitive debut novel is that it takes us inside the world of the kind of character rarely seen in teen or adult fiction. the Herald Profoundly unsettling, but also profoundly powerful. Owen's focus on the sibling affected by depression at second-hand, rather than the primary sufferer, is a courageous decision. Guardian Deeply relevant & powerful insight into the world of a teenage boy Virginia Macgregor, author of What Milo Saw
