$38.00
12 in stock
12 in stock
In a sinisterly skewed version of England in 1979, thirteen-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a New Forest home, part of the government’s Sycamore Scheme. Each day the boys must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. Children who survive are allowed to move to the Big House in Margate, a destination of mythical proportions, desired by every Sycamore child. Meanwhile, in Exeter, Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who never let her leave the house. As the government looks to shut down the Sycamore homes and place their residents into the community, the triplets’ lives begin to intersect with Nancy’s, culminating in revelations that will rock the children to the core.
Gradually surrendering its dark secrets, The Book of Guilt is a spellbinding novel from one of our greatest storytellers: a profoundly unnerving exploration of belonging in a world where some lives are valued less than others.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Imprint: Te Herenga Waka University Press
Publication date: 08/05/2025
The Book of Guilt
By Catherine Chidgey
Review by Josh
A deeply unsettling tale that will crawl under your skin in the best way imaginable. Chidgey has a distinct skill for possessing the minds of her characters and realising them so fully, they could almost jump off the page and join you. The three central characters of the story are triplets, part of the ever-dwindling Sycamore Scheme, which keeps them sequestered away from the public, and administers the medicine they need for their mysterious illness.
As the story progresses, readers become increasingly uncomfortable as we begin to grasp what’s really going on, which ratchets up the tension as we watch the boys still fumbling at the edges, not quite seeing the whole picture. By dropping just enough breadcrumbs to give the discerning reader the clues they need, The Book of Guilt reveals its secrets with perfect pacing and deft timing. A near-impossible book to put down.
