This is one of those books that I’ve always been aware of but only recently managed to get around to reading.
The adjective that immediately comes to mind is gritty. The story is based in 1930s Brighton and is full of a grey, grimy underclass fighting for power in a gang saturated, gloomy seaside town. It could just be depressing but the quality of the writing lifts the story and keeps you turning the pages.
‘The Boy’ is the main character, a seventeen year old called Pinkie. Evil is the term the author uses for him but today he would be described as deprived and abused. Does Pinkie have a choice when he gets involved with violence or has his past conditioned him to ignore the feelings of others? Is he as much of a victim as the person he kills? It seems to me that the answer to this question changes through the decades.
Both Pinkie and his girlfriend Rose come from Roman Catholic families. There are strange liturgical Latin quotations that are sprinkled through their disturbingly skewed conversations. They worry about sin and Hell and whether they have any hope of absolution. As the story moves forward the reader wonders if they care about this. Are they straightforwardly amoral?
The two teenagers are certainly not prepared for the determined
Ada Arnold, who in a blowsy, slightly alcohol fuelled way is the epitome of justice. You could see a tale of good versus evil here but of course it is never that simple. This is not an enjoyable story in my view but a very interesting one and I’m glad I’ve read it.