Discover a chilling twentieth century classic, delving into the dark and complex heart of childhood

'Some people are coming here today, now you will have a companion.'

But young Edmund Hooper doesn't want anyone else in Warings, the rambling Victorian house he shares with his widowed father. Nevertheless Charles Kingshaw and his mother are soon installed and Edmund sets about persecuting his fearful new playmate.

From the dusty back rooms of Warings through the gloomy labyrinth of Hang Wood to the very top of Leydell Castle, Edmund pursues Charles, the balance of power slipping back and forth between bully and victim. With their parents oblivious, the situation speeds towards a crisis...

Darkly claustrophobic and morally ambiguous, Susan Hill weaves a classic tale of cruelty, power, and the dangerous games we play as children.

'A brilliant tour de force' Guardian

'Equalled for poignancy and horror only in Lord of the Flies' Sunday Telegraph

'Delves beneath the surface of complex young minds, exposing not only their vulnerabilty and tenderness, their cruelty and malevolence, but also how parents end up turning a blind eye to their pain' Anita Sethi

About the Author
Susan Hill was born in Scarborough in 1942, and educated at grammar schools there and in Coventry. She read English at King's College, London, of which she is now a Fellow. As well as I'm the King of the Castle, her novels include Strange Meeting, The Bird of Night, In the Springtime of the Year, Air and Angels, The Service of Clouds,The Various Haunts of Men, The Pure in Heart, The Rise of Darkness, The Beacon, The Vows of Silence and The Small Hand. She has written several volumes of short stories, including A Bit of Singing and Dancing; two ghost novels, The Woman in Black and The Mist in the Mirror; and a number of stories for children. Her autobiographical books are The Magic Apple Tree and Family. She is married with two adult daughters and lives in North Norfolk.

Reviews
Hill's exploration of a juvenile ghoul and his natural prey is a brilliant tour de force * Guardian *
Equalled for poignancy and horror only in Lord of the Flies * Sunday Telegraph *
Delves beneath the surface of complex young minds, exposing not only their vulnerability and tenderness, their cruelty and malevolence, but also how parents end up turning a blind eye to their pain -- Anita Sethi, 'Guardian'



Book Information
ISBN 9780140034912
Author Susan Hill
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 149g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 13mm