Being 15 and in an english class at school, I was given the task of selecting a book, poem, short story etc. to do a kinda review of- specialist study is what it was called.
So, I trecked off to the small, nearly adequate school library to try and find that one special book amongst the seemingly millions that there were. I got 5 books out in total, one of them "An Evil Cradling"
I came across "An Evil Cradling" and because of the intimidating cover of a man, huddled into a small ball, gave it second look. I read the blurb, about a man being kidnapped and held hostage for over 4 years. The front helped add to me taking this book out as it made me intrigued to what would lie inside.
I took this book away with me on holiday and started reading it- big mistake! I couldn't put it down- No swimming for me! Once you start reading it you simply cannot put it down as horrific event after horrific event happens. I became entangled into it: I needed to know what happened to Brian before his release.
The book is written in a way that shows Brian reflecting and anylysing on his time there- how he's changed, what made him change and his thoughts and feelings. It's a personal insight into his life- a great sense of Brian trying to understand what happened to him and release all the feelings he's kept inside.
The book is basically a biography of different traumatic events that happened to him,how he was beaten both mentally and physically, kept in sweltering empty rooms for days at a time, treated like an animal. Once, he was beaten so badly that he couldn't walk, for simply stopping a man from hitting him by putting up his arms to prtect himself. Another time, he was "mummified" in masking tape with only a small hole for him to breathe and squashed suffocatingly into a small boot. He's denied magazines, games - any sort of entertainment for the majority of his stay. In only 4 years so many things happen to him that he eventually emerges a greatly different person than when he was first captured.
What's even worse is that the was captured due to American air-strikes when he was neither American or English, but Irish. His capture, was, basically pointless. I was left feeling horrified and upset.
After being left feeling like this, I knew that this was the book for me to do my english work on and I would definately reccomend this as a thrilling and deeply moving novel. I eventually bought a copy, which I've read many times, from Bargin Books, but I had to order it. It comes at £5.99 and honestly, is worth every penny.
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