THE CUCKOO BOY by GRANT GILLESPIE
Oct 14th, 2010 by Jackie at Farm Lane Books Blog
The Cuckoo Boy was recently short listed for the Not the Booker Prize, but it appealed to me from the moment I first heard about it.
The book is about a boy who was adopted at birth. His twin brother is said to have died, but we know next to nothing about his birth family or the reasons for his adoption.
James’ new mother is Sandra. She struggles to cope with him and as he grows he becomes increasingly difficult. As soon as James can talk he tells everyone about his friend, David; the only problem is that no-one else can see this imaginary friend. The two boys collude to commit increasingly evil acts, but there is always a reason for their actions and so the reader is left wondering whether the children are evil or just unlucky.
This book reminded me of The Fifth Child, but it also had elements of We Need to Talk About Kevin, and classic Gothic ghost stories. I loved the way in which we never knew whether David was the ghost of James’ twin brother or just a figment of James’ imagination. Many episodes of the book were quite chilling and so this is the perfect book for Halloween.
I’m always fascinated by books which explore motherhood. The Cuckoo Boy is especially good for discussions about whether children are born evil or whether it is the fault of the parents. The fact that Sandra isn’t James’ biological mother leads to some interesting insights into maternal bonding and I was impressed by the way in which the emotions of motherhood were accurately described.
This book was gripping and thought provoking, but it also contained many of the amusing observations that only young children can get away with. There were so many talking points that I’m sure I could spend hours discussing it – making it a perfect book club choice.
Highly recommended to anyone interested in books about motherhood.
Grant Gillespie 
24 Comments
Sandy
October 14, 2010 at 11:47 am
I’m definitely going to read this one. We Need to Talk About Kevin literally knocked the wind out of me. And while it was physcially painful to read, I will NEVER forget it. The issue of motherhood is complicated, no? Do we make a difference in the type of kids we raise? I’ve always thought so, but Kevin obviously argues that and is a topic for hours of discussion.
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Jackie
October 14, 2010 at 11:55 am
Sandy, Motherhood is such a complicated, emotional issue and books like this one are very scary. It is so easy to blame the mother when things go wrong which is why I find books that go against that idea so fascinating. I’m sure you’ll love it
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Verity
October 14, 2010 at 12:24 pm
Although not a mother, and probably unlikely to be one, I still find books like this fascinating. I found Kevin absolutely horrifying, so I’ll be interested to see another book dealing with such emotional aspects.
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Jackie
October 14, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Verity, In many ways this is more horrifying than Kevin. I think that you’d really like it
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Amy
October 14, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Ohh this sounds really interesting. I just read another book that deals with the subject of if children are born bad or if it’s the fault of the parents – Bite the Stars by Eliza Clark!
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Jackie
October 14, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Amy, I’m a big fan of this type of book so I’ve just added Bite the Stars to my wish list. Thank you
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Steph
October 14, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Oooh, this sounds spooky and fabulous. I haven’t read The Fifth Child, but Kevin was a cracking read, so I think I’d enjoy this as well. I’ll definitely have to see if I can find it!
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Jackie
October 14, 2010 at 4:01 pm
Steph, I rarely find books spooky, but this one gave me shivers a few times. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Brenna
October 14, 2010 at 3:58 pm
This sounds really good! Your review almost reminds me of the Turn of the Screw in a way, involving children who may or may not see ghosts. The theme is quite chilling. If I see this before Halloween I’ll be sure to pick it up.
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Jackie
October 14, 2010 at 4:03 pm
Brenna, It does have a few similarities to Turn of the Screw, but Cuckoo Boy is much easier to understand. Children and ghosts are a great combination
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Dorte H
October 14, 2010 at 6:59 pm
A mixture of The Fifth Child and gothic stories? – well, that doesn´t sound bad at all!
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Jackie
October 15, 2010 at 11:54 am
Dorte, I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.
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Teresa (Lovely Treez Reads)
October 14, 2010 at 8:21 pm
I like the sound of this! Thank you, Jackie.
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Jackie
October 15, 2010 at 11:54 am
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Beth F
October 14, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Sounds like the perfect October read! I’ll keep it in mind.
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Jackie
October 15, 2010 at 11:55 am
Beth, I’m sure it will be a great read at any time of year, but there is something about reading it in Autumn that makes it extra spooky
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Joanna
October 15, 2010 at 9:04 am
This sounds amazing. I really liked We Need to Talk About Kevin when I read it and this does sound like it explores similar things.
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Jackie
October 15, 2010 at 11:56 am
Joanna, Yes. Very similar issues, but from a slightly different perspective. I’m sure you’d love it.
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Alex
October 15, 2010 at 10:52 am
The Fifth Child was probably one of the most disturbing books I’ve ever read. I still cannot think of it without a wince. Re. books about motherhood, have you read Room already?
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Jackie
October 15, 2010 at 11:58 am
Alex, I think you’ll find this almost as disturbing as The Fifth Child, although in many ways it is more realistic and so perhaps could be viewed as more disturbing.
I have read Room – it is my favourite book of the year so far
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Yurena
October 16, 2010 at 6:03 am
Can somebody tell me who the author of Room is, please? That sounds interesting but I did a search on Bookmooch and the system can not find it
Thanks.
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Jackie
October 16, 2010 at 7:37 am
Yurena, Room is written by Emma Donoghue, but it was only released a few months ago and so I think it might be a while before copies appear on bookmooch – you might be better off looking in your library.
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gavin
October 16, 2010 at 1:21 am
I’m hoping my library has this one. It sounds like a perfect read for October. Thanks for this review.
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Jenners
October 17, 2010 at 1:38 am
Well, I wasn’t a big fan of The Fifth Child but I kind of like the ideas that you described. And it makes me want to find out what is going on. Sounds like a perfect read for this time of year.
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