Incredible read, but should it be used in schools?
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I have just finished reading this book as my son passed it on to me after finishing his GCSE English exam.
I found it an amazing book, I felt a sense of claustrophobia and desperation as I read it almost as if it was happening to me, especially the scenes when they are lost in Hang Wood, and when later Hooper locks Kingshaw in a shed. I would however, question it being used as a GCSE book. Teenagers of that age are impressionable and might be going through similar circumstances, and due to the very dark ending, this book would not offer any hope. I remember doing Jane Eyre for my O levels - at least it was a more cheerful read!
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Please read with caution
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I believe that reading is a form of escapism where we go to get away from the horrors of the world in which we live. Therefore upon being forced to read this book in GCSE literature, i found myself hating the book with a passion. i offer my sincerest warning to anyone who wishes to enjoy their reading and not have it plagued by misery and mental torture i ask you not to read this book...i appreciated that many people believe Susan Hill to be a fantastic writer however , a fantastic writer she may be,(despite that it is physically impossible to perform the act that Kingshaw does at the conclusion of the book, as instincts prevent you doing this) i do not understand someone would wish to write a book so horrible and, even stranger still, i do not understand why someone would wish to read it...Upon asking this question of someone who "enjoyed" the book he replied "because it is what happens in the real world"... I have two problems with this statement: the first, is that i do not believe that this has ever happened to anyone in the "real world" and if it has the perpetrators would have been hanged, and secondly, i do not want to know if this sort of travesty has or will ever happen in the world, that is something i reserve the right not to know (as i maintain my point of reading being for escapism). Whilst reading you have to remind yourself of how this book is about two 10 yr old children and at that moment you are disgusted. When the author herself describes the book as, "exploring the darkest recesses of the human heart" you realise that this will be a foul read. Finally, this line is printed on the back cover of the my edition of the book and it sums it all up perfectly.
"Hooper had known, from the very first moment he had looked into Kingshaw's face, that it would all be easy, that he would always be able to make him afraid"
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A brilliant, thought provoking read.
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Like many others I read this book at GCSE level, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is brilliantly written and the subject matter is one that too many people shy away from. Ok, it is dark, disturbing and may leave you feeling slightly sick but it is a fiction book that reflects real life (unfortunately) in it's own way. Don't read it if you are easily upset or if the subject matter feels too close to home (bullying, lonliness and death). It's not just about 'psychotic' children, there's more to it than that. Give it a chance.
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Drawn out torture
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What was the point of this book exactly? To prove that children can be sadistic (obvious); that bullying is soul-destroying (again, obvoius)? The characters are all detestable, and we are given almost no insights into WHY Hooper enjoys torturing this boy. I am also not certain as to which target audience Susan Hill had in mind. Younger kids will be disturbed, older kids will probably find the prose dense and repetative, and adults will only read it because they think that they might gather some insights into childrens' minds. Lastly, is it just me or does the story essentially repeat itself, with the episode in the forest as a brief interlude in between? Take it off the syllabus, PLEASE!
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A good read
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My advice is not to read this book if you want to have a smile on your face at the end. With many references to death throughout with a simply psycotic child it doesnt make for happy reading BUT as a thought provoking and very well written novel its well worth a read if your in the mood. And tahts coming from me having to study it as an english student for the past 2 years
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