i recall trying to read this when i was in primary school and later abandoning ship, as i found it too troubling.

rightly so, may i add - to read it as an adult, i would hesitate to recommend it to a child, to read alone.

all that aside, i think it was quite well done in the way it not only retained my attention and evoked a sense of unease, but displayed somewhat realistically the more disagreeable sides of child abuse and its consequences, when unchecked and blissfully ignored (noted by the way the book ends).

quite poignantly, it also displayed the true ease with which adults often shirk the responsibility of ‘troubled‘ or ‘misbehaving’ children onto other children, who are perhaps more adept or of sound mind. frustrating and relatable.

i also apologise for my overly-long sentences and my lack of coherence: i have been revising for my german exam and the ways of german syntax have seeped into my english, and it’s 1.30am