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Book review: Chalk
Jan. 1st, 2018 11:32 amChalk by Paul Cornell
Ugh, I didn't want to like this book. It's horrible. It's gruesome, scary, set in the brutal era of Thatcher's England, and there are absolutely no likeable characters.
I couldn't put it down. I read it in one day, finishing late last night.
It's compelling, dragging you along like a murderer drags a body through the forest, determined to bury you in landscape, era, pop culture, magic, and bullying.
Andrew Waggoner is a teenage boy, bullied at school, and at home, his parents want him to do well. There's a lot of off-scene worries about money, and the pressure is on Andrew to get a bursary at the end of the school year. Neither parent have much idea what goes on in Andrew's life. The mother is pretty much a non-character, mentioned only for being worried, or afraid of just about everything.
The father occasionally tries to get Andrew to conform to his closed idea of manhood, but mostly, Andrew is left to his own devices.
A group of bullies at school drag Andrew off into the woods and do something terrible to him. So terrible that it splits him in half, emotionally and mentally. There is Andrew, who is still gormless, and then there is another - Waggoner, who is tough, and seemingly born of the power held in the chalk hills in Wiltshire. The chalk horse features, and Waggoner is allied to something ancient, and is able to enact blood rituals in the world. It's Waggoner who gets revenge on those who hurt Andrew.
It's a graphic, brutal book, and at times I didn't want to keep reading.
It's a psychological thriller, as Waggoner gets Andrew in good with his enemies, and for the most part, Andrew is a horrid teenage boy who starts bullying others to fit in. He gives no excuse, but nor does the narrator shy away from admitting his every misdeed.
Set against this ancient power are two girls who are enacting their own forms of magic: lighter, based on pop culture, and music. There are hints of kitchen witchery.
Cornell steeps his novel in the music of the 80's, and Andrew is a big fan of Dr Who, Peter Davison era.
There is magic, storytelling, tv, pop music, terror, and evil. There is a strong element of 'be careful what you call up'.
Do I like the book? No.
Will I read it again? Probably, but not for a while.
How do I rate it? 4.5/5.
It loses half a point for the graphic violence.
Ugh, I didn't want to like this book. It's horrible. It's gruesome, scary, set in the brutal era of Thatcher's England, and there are absolutely no likeable characters.
I couldn't put it down. I read it in one day, finishing late last night.
It's compelling, dragging you along like a murderer drags a body through the forest, determined to bury you in landscape, era, pop culture, magic, and bullying.
Andrew Waggoner is a teenage boy, bullied at school, and at home, his parents want him to do well. There's a lot of off-scene worries about money, and the pressure is on Andrew to get a bursary at the end of the school year. Neither parent have much idea what goes on in Andrew's life. The mother is pretty much a non-character, mentioned only for being worried, or afraid of just about everything.
The father occasionally tries to get Andrew to conform to his closed idea of manhood, but mostly, Andrew is left to his own devices.
A group of bullies at school drag Andrew off into the woods and do something terrible to him. So terrible that it splits him in half, emotionally and mentally. There is Andrew, who is still gormless, and then there is another - Waggoner, who is tough, and seemingly born of the power held in the chalk hills in Wiltshire. The chalk horse features, and Waggoner is allied to something ancient, and is able to enact blood rituals in the world. It's Waggoner who gets revenge on those who hurt Andrew.
It's a graphic, brutal book, and at times I didn't want to keep reading.
It's a psychological thriller, as Waggoner gets Andrew in good with his enemies, and for the most part, Andrew is a horrid teenage boy who starts bullying others to fit in. He gives no excuse, but nor does the narrator shy away from admitting his every misdeed.
Set against this ancient power are two girls who are enacting their own forms of magic: lighter, based on pop culture, and music. There are hints of kitchen witchery.
Cornell steeps his novel in the music of the 80's, and Andrew is a big fan of Dr Who, Peter Davison era.
There is magic, storytelling, tv, pop music, terror, and evil. There is a strong element of 'be careful what you call up'.
Do I like the book? No.
Will I read it again? Probably, but not for a while.
How do I rate it? 4.5/5.
It loses half a point for the graphic violence.
