Book Review - I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill

[byslantedlight]

Just after four o'clock yesterday I had an email from Placement School in response to my wondering what Miss would like me to teach her Year 11 top set on Tuesday. The reply? "She'd like you to do a mini scheme of work on I'm the King of the Castle, by Susan Hill. Oh, good. So I have three days to read the book, suss out what it's all about and why they've put it on the GCSE syllabus, and create a "mini scheme of work" for it. What is a "mini" scheme anyway? Just enough for my three hours and twenty minutes worth of lessons? For the first three chapters that they've recently re-read? Or for the whole entire book, as an example of what I can do? Define it for me! Gaaaah!

Oh well - take it a step at a time, right? So I started by reading the book... actually I started by buying it, via toasted fruit-bread and a dark cherry mocha at that most wonderful of inventions - Starbucks inside Borders Books. *g* And just as well, cos it turned out that was the only cheerful moment of the whole experience!

My word could someone have written a more depressing, all-hope-gone, slit-my-wrists-now book? It's filled with dread and despair all through - very cleverly done, of course, because you're empathising with Charles the whole time, feeling every single nuance and tingle of blackness that he does, breathing in the fresh, hopeful air when he does, and knowing, just knowing as he does that it won't last... Except that, until almost the last page, there was just a small hope in me that it might work out for him - for all of them... But no.

Hill's Afterword, which is interesting, ends:
"It is a dark book though it emerged from beautiful places and happy scenes. I do not fully understand it. Many people have told me they dislike it very much. But others have said 'that's what it was like for me. I knew a boy like that. It made me realize I haven't been alone.'

"I often think that the purpose of the novelist is simply to do that - to make some people realize that they are not, after all, alone."

And I've got to say, I knew people like that - and it didn't make me feel better about it at all!

Powerful - yes. Gripping - yes. A good read? If you're in the mood for it yes, otherwise... gaaaah!

Suppose I'd better not start the class off with that though, had I? *g* Be interesting to see what the kids made of it... Anyone else read it?