Boy A

As both a film broadcasted by Channel Four and a Book, Boy A has shocked me to the core, its shockingly realistic and naked representation of children in society is not hidden, however it amazingly portrays the other side to cruelty and violence from very young children against other children. Something that I had not considered ever wanting to understand or ever realised how deep and conflicted my opinions could become.

I hope that readers can appreciate that this review is not just of a book and is also of a documentary/film and of the tragic reality that the book tells.

The Book

Boy A is a novel written by a British author called Jonathan Trigell and it was published in 2004. The novel tells the story of a young man released into society after being imprisoned as a very young boy, he has a new identity and a new life to get on with in completely new surroundings.

The Story

The novel follows Jack a 24 year old who has been released from prison and is now in the custody of Terry, his case officer and possibly the only person now who knows Jacks secret and perhaps Jack’s only friend in the world outside.

Jack is an identity created by Boy A who has grown up in an institution after committing a crime with another child (Boy B).

The beginning of the book starts the story of his new life in a job with a few friends and even a young love blooming with a girl of his age.
As the story develops and you grow to endear to Jack for his childishness and naïve thoughts and actions the author starts to flash back bit by bit, chapter by chapter to the crime Jack committed as a child until as a reader you are aware fully of why Jack has grown up in prison and the horror surrounding his case.

The story is mainly telling of his struggles integrating into society, and although the crime he has committed in the book is important, the author does not touch on it to the extent in which as a reader you are able to despise the young man, instead it takes readers to a certain level of understanding and it is easy to continue feeling for the young fool that is Jack.

Unfortunately for Jack, in the novel the reader is made aware of the ever hawk like presence of the press looming over his case. They make the public aware that he has been released and are unwilling to forget the past, a witch hunt starts for Jack who ends up creating his own virtual prison and trapping himself inside it.

Character Development

Although I have only touched briefly upon the storyline, I cannot stress the complexity of the character of Jack. he is introduced in the book as a young and nervous man. The author introduces Jack before he introduces Boy A (the young boy who commits a dreadful crime), although they are the same person this way of introducing his character is important in the novel because Jack is a friendly and likable character where as Boy A is a child in which many readers will not be able to comprehend or understand and would not relate to nor would they like or sympathise with, even though he is just a child.

Throughout the story as well as jumping back in time to Jack’s crime, we also flash to his tragic childhood which endears us to him further and when Jack hits struggles, as a reader it is easy to feel sympathy and it is also easy to make excuses for his behaviour.

The complexity in Jacks character lies in the fact that although he is technically an adult he has had no experience in real adult life so far, and fitting in is clearly a problem in the book, whether it lies in his first beer, or his first kiss Jack is clearly struggling to put himself into an adult mindset and draws attention to himself pretty easily.

Jonathan Trigell tells Jack’s story comfortably and his character falls into place quite easily, he animates his character so well and captures him extremely realistically, I think that this is probably done through the structure of the book and the way he takes time in writing Jack’s character in completely.

Although Jack and Boy A are the main focus of the story, Jonathan Trigell also introduces each other character to the extent where they are easily developed.
Terry his carer, is in the book throughout, and it is easy to recognise how much he devotes himself to Jack and tries to save Jack from himself.

Although the author does give the other characters page space, he is really merely using them to show Jacks instabilities and struggles and this means that we are not led away from our feelings for Jack, we are constantly and consistently on his side.

My Opinion On The Book

I have now read this book a few times and it is a thoroughly enjoyable and thought provoking read. The story is tackled in a very sensitive manor by the author and I have been moved each time I have read it.

The main disadvantage of the book is of course its one sidedness, the author turns your head away from Jack’s crime and focuses you on his struggles. Of course this is Jonathan Trigell’s purpose, but you almost feel although you’re being steered away from natural urges to hate and condemn the young man that is Jack.

The Film

The novel was adapted into a Bafta award winning film which was not released in cinemas but made an appearance in one or two film festivals and became a sensation in its Channel Four slot, winning plenty of awards and nominations.

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The story, like the book, follows a young man called Jack who committed a murder as a ten year old child called Eric and has just been released into the real world outside of prison.
The film follows the novel pretty closely and even uses Jonathan Trigell’s method of flashing back to the past.

People Involved

The director John Crowley worked in collaboration with the author of the novel Boy A Jonathan Trigell and also a screenplay writer called Mark O’Rowe.

The cast is listed below, and as you will notice is a small team of predominately unknown actors which I believe was perfect for this slightly controversial film, this also cleverly ensured the audience was neutral to the character of Jack, for example I am sure that if Johnny Depp had played the part I would have loved him from the off. However Andrew Garfield plays the role and we do not have any expectations of him, so when the film concludes and you are left being saddened and not angered by his story, this is entirely your decision, you have not been influenced by the actor playing the role.

Andrew Garfield - Jack Burridge

Peter Mullan - Terry

Siobhan Finneran - Kelly

Alfie Owen - Eric Wilson

Skye Bennett - Angela

Madeline Rakic-Platt - School Girl

Leigh Symonds - Eric’s Dad

Maria Gough - Eric’s Mum

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Andrew Garfield plays the part of Jack excellently, he shows Jack’s naivety and child like rawness throughout the whole film. Although Garfield is portraying a young man who was guilty of a violent and sickening crime he manages to stay friendly and harmless throughout the film echoing the likable character in the novel. He does not develop into a character who seems aware of his crime and its seriousness, but more of a character who isn’t benefited by being released from prison because of the repercussions involved.

Similarities and Differences to the Book

The book and the film are extremely similar, this is of course down to the authors co-operation in the film and the excellent mental connection in which Jonathan Trigell and the director John Crowley shared.

The director is able to show us visually the mental prison which Jonathan Trigell tries to express in his book. Jack is trapped by the reality of his crime and all of the actors work really well to construct this theme.

A difference that I found was that Boy B has more involvement in the film than in the book. As a reader it was easy to sympathise with a character in a book, however I think John Crowley was aware this may not be the same rule on the big screen, and therefore Boy B’s presence was stronger in the film to try and put some of the blame onto him and relieve Jack of some of his harrowing past to ensure that viewers could empathise with the character.

My Opinion On The Film

The film was something that I was desperate to see after already having read the book a few times, I was especially interested to find out how a director could have put the story on the screen, and how a character like the one written in the book Boy A could have been brought to life. I was impressed from every angle.

The film justified the book perfectly and I had no problems with the way the scenes were structured, watching it was like having someone read the book to me. The actors played their parts exactly as I would have imagined and the film in my eyes was successful all round.

The film was also shocking like the book, in the way that it makes you feel for someone who you know society clearly hates. I was quite amazed at the level of empathy I could feel for Jack in both the book and the film. I was saddened by the story but enjoyed how well it was told.

Should we Feel Empathy for Jack?

The book and the film both made me cry. For Jack.
For some reason the book does not allow you to see far past the scared boy, I am usually angered by violence, especially when its from children, but Jack was ten when he committed the crime, and I cannot help thinking of how small and vulnerable my brothers were when they were ten.

Even though the book and film successfully make you feel empathy for Jack it is easy to forget the crime when you remember he was just a child.

I am a believer that a life sentence should mean life, but now days life sentences are measly and pathetic. Boy A shows that when a child is imprisoned even on release they are still serving a sentence. I am not sure which is worse, being in a literal prison or a mental one.

In the book, it is okay to feel for Jack, we are mainly shown his side of the story, however in real life I think it is important to see the situation on a whole.

Reality

The reason I have written about Boy A, and the reason I originally picked up the book and eagerly awaited the film is child on child violence is something which is real, debated hotly and made painfully clear by stories in the media and tragic past events like that of little James Bulger, the two year old boy who was murdered by two young boys aged just ten.

The book, although

Pictures of Boy A - Jonathan Trigell

This is the simple book cover, there are a few variations but this is the one I have on my book

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advertised as fiction is so very reminiscent of the James Bulger case, although the author denies any connection and states the book stemmed from a friend who had been in a juvenile institution as a young boy but emerged as a really nice young man.
Whether the author admits the connection or not, it is there.

With James Bulger, even watching documentaries on it now makes me either cry or feel sick, or both. And imagining his mothers grief is something far beyond my capabilities.

Similarities Between The Book And James Bulger

With the dreadful James Bulger case, the British media was rightly outraged by the behaviour of two young boys and did everything in its massive power to make sure the whole nation saw these two boys as savages and evil.

There was no interest in discovering why (if any reason is suitable) two children might commit murder in such a cruel and disgusting manor, there was no story telling of two very young boys being taken from their families and their friends at such a tender age. Being released many years later but to not able to contact their mothers, or brothers ever again and never being able to reveal their pasts.

I do not feel empathy for these boys, I don’t think many people do, but the book Boy A strongly represents the medias reaction and also scarily shows us a different side to a story almost exactly the same.

James Bulger and the victim in Boy A are very similar in their end, and yet we hate the perpetrators in the James Bulger case but feel sympathy for Jack. Its very complex and honestly the book is a real insight and Jonathan Trigell does something which many readers which will probably not believe possible, it really made me forgive the unforgivable and I can imagine the same effect with most readers.

The book also strongly echoes the James Bulger case by the way of the age of the boys committing the crime and the ages of release. Boy A is released a very young man with his whole life ahead of him, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables were also released in their twenties with new identities and their whole lives ahead of them.

We will probably never discover the identities or lives of Thompson and Venables, we will never discover whether they are sorry or not, whether they ever could even comprehend the crime they committed and we will never know whether their lives are happy or whether like Jack they are struggling in their own mental prison of guilt and secrecy. The book shows us what we will never see and shows an example of how growing up in prison can affect a young mans life.

In the James Bulger case, before the names of the perpetrators were released they were known only as Child A and Child B, the similarities between the book and reality are so astounding it is hard to see how Jonathan Trigell got away with denying the connection, I am almost disappointed in the author for not being realistic about his own book, but he may have been trying to avoid upsetting the family of James Bulger or maybe even offending them.

Questions

The book brings about many issues for myself and I am sure any reader of it feels the
same.
Boy A brings the following questions in my head and they are all greatly debated in society and the media.

* ‘should children be accountable for their wrongs?’

* ‘does nature or nurture make children violent?’

* ‘Is it the parents fault?’

and

* ‘Murder is considered a crime of men, should a child face a man’s punishment?’

I do not know first hand the struggles involved in being a parent, however I know that myself and my brothers were raised in a lovely house, we went to a lovely school (not private) and both our parents had an amazing amount of time for us, none of us are murderers, and my two younger brothers are both polite and lovely boys who even at their young teenage ages are fully aware of how disgusting real life stories which are similar to Boy A are.

I also know of children who were brought up in foster homes, or with junkie and absent parents or who have had little or no education. None of them are murderers, all of them are disgusted by cases like Boy A.

Where does that leave us? I think this just goes to show that parents can contribute to their Childs behaviour but sometimes their parenting is not the sole problem.

Should children be punished like adults? I don’t have the answer. Books like Boy A would show that imprisoning a young child will ruin their life, however is this not a good punishment for someone who has ruined the life of others?
After reading Boy A I would say No, but after living through cases like the James Bulger Murder I would say punish away and do not consider the child perpetrator’s feelings or human rights, why should we?

Can a child kill in cold blood? Who knows, the whole subject is so intense and deep and the book just prompts a bit more thought on the subject, however this is something which I think could be debated forever and subjects for debate like this will unfortunately continue forever.

Conclusion

I enjoy this book every time I read it, although I am not sure that ‘enjoy’ is a suitable word considering the subject of the story, but honestly I enjoy the thought processes that I get taken through just reading the book, I enjoy the emotions which the author triggers in me, even if they are sad and even if they conflict with my natural reactions and instincts.

As a fiction the story is wonderful, written perfectly and a real page turner, as a story reflecting reality it is deep and sad and a strange journey to be taken on the other side of a case which is very real.

After reading this review, you may find it hard to believe that you will have the same feelings as I do for Jack, you may find it hard to believe you could ever empathise with an ‘animal’ like Jack.
If that is the case then I definitely recommend this book to you, I also recommend the film which can be downloaded online. The book only costs around £5.99 on Amazon and is worth every penny for the shock that it will create, you will also be able to read it over and over, and I guarantee you will want to share it with other.

Let me know if you have watched the film or read the book, and always remember that the book is just a stab at trying to recognise the life of people like Jack, and we must never forget the real victims.

xxx