Monday, January 15, 2018

Ancrum, K. The Wicker King


Ancrum, K.     The Wicker King       Macmillan/Imprint   2017   305p   17.99  978-1-250-10154-9            hs        Conflict           E          

A dark tale of mental illness and co-dependency between best friends Jack and August.              Jack and August have been friends forever.  Despite their different social circles, they are both neglected and depend upon each other for love, support, and guidance. Jack is a star athlete and pretty boy.  August is a drug-dealing pyromaniac.  When Jack starts to hallucinate and becomes increasingly drawn into a fantasy world in which he is the Wicker King, August joins in the fantasy,convinced he can control Jack’s decent into madness.  When the boys are arrested for arson, August convinces his attorney to claim insanity so that he can follow Jack to an asylum.  Through counseling and medical intervention, the boys are released and forge a new future together. 

The book itself mimics Jack’s increasing instability, the story starts on white paper, and proceeds from gray through black before returning to white again.  The fantasy story within the story is jarring and frightening, but helps to illuminate the emotional breakdown that Jack experiences.                           Teixeira, Lisa

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