Ancrum, K. The Wicker King. Macmillan/Imprint 2017 305p. $17.99 ISBN 978-1-250-10154-9 hs Conflict
E
Jack and
August have been friends forever.
Despite their different social circles, they are both neglected and they
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 descent 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 -- initially the story is printed on white paper, and then the pages proceed from gray through black before returning to white again. The fantasy story within the story is jarring and frightening, but it helps to illuminate the emotional breakdown that Jack experiences.
The book itself mimics Jack’s increasing instability -- initially the story is printed on white paper, and then the pages proceed from gray through black before returning to white again. The fantasy story within the story is jarring and frightening, but it helps to illuminate the emotional breakdown that Jack experiences.
Summary:
A dark tale of mental illness and co-dependency between best friends Jack and
August.
Mental
Illness-Fiction --Lisa Teixeira
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