The Screaming Tree (Paperback)

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Review
'A promising new young British voice' Time Out When the Ashes Burn: 'The most gripping, horrifying book of the year' Yorkshire Post Ploughing Potter's Field: 'A superior piece of crime-writing' Philip Oakes, Literary Review 'Robust writing, a keen, brutal perception of modern existence and a penchant for shocking violence' Marcel Berlins, The Times

A superb psychological drama from Phil Lovesey, this is a tense and unsettling thriller that shocks the reader right up to the final page. William Dickson is a deeply disturbed young man who has just gone to university. He still cannot remember why, as a child, he was found up a tree screaming and unable to speak, but he tells us of murders he went on to commit and describes a coma he endured in his late teens. We realize that William is suffering from Post Traumatic Amnesia; his memories are almost entirely fabricated. With the help of a psychiatrist, Dr Carter, William pieces together his past and unlocks the secrets of his original childhood trauma. Lovesey weaves an enthralling narrative which contains as many surprises as the human mind on which it focuses. William's unreliability as a narrator generates great tension. We are chilled by his callous murders but also tempted into sympathy as we learn the truth of his past. Lovesey is interested in memory and psychological survival: he explores William's complexities in convincing detail. Lovesey's other characters are equally believable. William's long-suffering mother is particularly affecting; she struggles to reconcile her son's suffering with his rehabilitation, and Carter is well drawn with his unconventional methods and complete fallibility. The characters of Lovesey's murderous sub-plot are suitably menacing. The narrative is set between a chaotic student Manchester and the idyllic Peak District, and Lovesey uses the two settings to emphasize dramatic changes in William's state of mind. Written in taut prose, this is a nerve-jangling thriller that unpicks our assumptions about memory, madness and certainty. (Kirkus UK)

Product Description
Complex psychological thriller from the author of When the Ashes Burn: 'Phil Lovesey is among the most talented of the new wave of young British crime writers' Marcel Berlins, The Times As a seven-year-old boy, William Dickson goes into the woods with his friend Fat Norris and watches as he falls to his death from a tree. Friends and family couldn't be more sympathetic -- as if they don't realize how much William is to blame. Fat Norris is the first, but William soon claims other victims, particularly when he sees just how easy it is for him to kill and get away with it: a woman who attacks him, a school bully and a teenage yob all fall prey to his murderous impulses, without him ever arousing the slightest suspicion. It's only much later that a throwaway remark by his mother casts a whole new light on William's crimes. Can his memory of past events be completely trusted? Or is there an even more sinister and complex reason for the shadow of death that has hung over him since he went into the woods?

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2 Reviews 5 star:    (0) 4 star:  (2) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.0 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A Harrowing testament to the power of the subconscious, 16 Aug 2003 By  Damian of Clitheroe (England) - See all my reviews This review is from: The Screaming Tree (Paperback) William Dixon is a very mixed-up lad - and as well he might be. Victim of a childhood trauma he struggles to understand the tricks his mind is playing on him as he grows up. His subconscious strives to protect his sense of self by constructing a series of bizarre and vivid false memories. These are so powerful that they seem quite real and indistinguishable from normal experience. As events unfold, real and imaginary happenings become intertwined in a horrifying way. The narrative becomes dark and unsettling; William's experiences prompting the reader to ponder the validity of his or her own memory. The question being how can we obtain verification and acceptance of personal recollection? What happens when our version of events, our sense of reality and therefore of who we really are, do not match up with that of others? The book's clear, easy-going and matter of fact style hides a menacing and disturbing undercurrent of self-doubt and existential confusion. William's powerful and devious subconscious is frequently personified by the author: it's rambling entreaties are particularly entertaining to read, reminding me very much of the schizophrenic burblings of Gollum in 'Lord of the Rings'. This is British crime-writing that is philosophical and open-ended. A book which after reading it makes you think, encourages doubt and leaves an uneasy, lingering tingliness long after the final pages have been turned. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Phil Lovesey excels himself again, 20 Sep 2002 By A Customer I am a great admirer of Phil Lovesey's books and therefore I looked forward to reading his latest novel, the Screaming Tree. Diverting from the style of his previous books, I really found myself being almost in the mind of the main character who tells the story of his life and the traumatic events which happen to him. But all is not as it seems. He has memories he would rather not have and his painful journey to find the truth takes the reader with him to the disturbing and traumatic end. I found I did not want to put this book down. The fluent style of writing, plus the enigmatic character telling his story makes this a compelling read. Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all 2 customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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