The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey
The Book of Guilt is the latest novel from New Zealand writer and lecturer Catherine Chidgey, published in the UK by John Murray press. Catherine’s previous novels have won several literary accolades, including the Acorn Prize for Fiction.
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey summary
Set in an alternate 1979, identical 13-year-old brothers Vincent, Lawrence and William live a quiet, closeted life. Cared for by their three mothers: Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon and Mother Night, they are the last residents of the Captain Scott Home for Boys. They learn their lessons, follow the rules and take their medicine as good boys should. If they get better, like many boys before them, they can move on to their promising new lives in Margate.
As the Captain Scott Home prepares for closure, the boys are taught the importance of socialising. They’re introduced to three girls from another home, and one of them shares a suspicion that changes everything. Instead of keeping them healthy, she thinks the medicine they all take is actually keeping them sick.
Could their mothers have lied to them their whole lives? And if so, why? What could they be hiding?
The Book of Guilt quotes
“Those days were happy days, before I knew what I was.”
“In the vegetable patch the cabbages grew fat under the insect-proof mesh; without it, caterpillars would bore through their hearts, and wouldn’t that be a dreadful waste? Wouldn’t that make you weep?”
“We didn’t mention the medicine our mothers had fed us all our lives, the things they hadn’t told us. The fear we felt when we lay in our beds in the great dark house.”
The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey review
The Book of Guilt leaves you guessing for a lot of the novel. You slowly unravel the reason for the boy’s unusual upbringing, alongside snapshots of the alternate UK. I won’t spoiler that reason as it’s such a huge part of the novel, but in general, they are not ‘normal’ children. The three boys have very distinct personalities, which is necessary for the plot, but I didn’t find myself particularly warming to any of them.
We also have two other perspectives on the story. One being a young girl who’s kept hidden by her parents and a newly appointed Minister of Loneliness, responsible for closing the Home. The Minister’s storyline was my favourite, as it gave you insights into the alternate UK, which I really enjoyed and would’ve liked more of.
Is The Book of Guilt worth reading?
I feel the worst saying this, as The Book of Guilt is packed with interesting ideas, but I can’t see myself recommending it. I’ve struggled with this review because the novel includes some fascinating ideas, but doesn’t go anywhere with them. Even the novel’s climax, built up as a terrible act of violence, kind of peters out and is passed over so quickly that it feels very unsatisfying. I understand why (MINI SPOILER) – it would include writing violence against a minor, which I don’t think any author or reader would revel in. However, if that’s the big turning point of your book, I feel you need to give it the focus you’ve implied it deserves.
I would’ve liked more of the alternative UK, more scientific details and more reasoning for the boys’ situation.
Overall, I loved the ideas, but found the execution a bit disappointing. It felt like a skim over the surface of something that could’ve been so captivating. Instead, I struggle to say much about it at all.
Buy your copy of The Book of Guilt.
If you like the sound of this, you’ll love my review of The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin.
