The Book of Life

by C.H.B. Kitchin, Francis King (Introduction)

Set in the twilight of the Edwardian era, this is the story of Francis Froxwell, a young orphan fascinated by his grandfather's 'Book of Life', a ledger that lists the immense wealth he and his relatives will inherit when the old man dies. Unhappy at boarding school and treated coldly by his relations, Francis finds solace in the thought of his future fortune and a possible baronetcy. Francis's only friends are his uncle Demetrius, whose affair with a divorcée has made him the black sheep of the family, and Jimmy Waring, a disgraced ex-schoolmaster and the brother of Demetrius's mistress. As Francis finds himself unwittingly caught up in the intrigues of these two men, a chain of events is set in motion leading to sex, scandal, blackmail, and death . . . and the elimination of at least one name from the 'Book of Life'.

An unjustly neglected novelist, C.H.B. Kitchin (1895-1967) was best known for his early mystery novels and was frustrated later in life when he continued to turn out minor masterpieces like Ten Pollitt Place (1957) and The Book of Life (1960), which won critical acclaim but were largely overlooked by the book-buying public. This edition features an introduction by Francis King.

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1960

About the author

C.H.B. (Clifford Henry Benn) Kitchin was born in Yorkshire in 1895. He attended Exeter College, Oxford, and published his first book, a collection of poems, in 1919. His first novel, Streamers Waving, appeared in 1925, and he scored his first success with the mystery novel Death of My Aunt (1929), which has been frequently reprinted and translated into a number of foreign languages.

Kitchin was a man of many interests and talents, being called to the bar in 1924 and later amassing a small fortune in the stock market. He was also, at various times, a farmer and a schoolmaster, and his many talents included playing the piano, chess, and bridge. He was also an avid collector of antiques and objets d'art.

Kitchin was a lifelong friend of L. P. Hartley, with whose works Kitchin’s were often compared, and was also a friend and mentor to Francis King, who later acted as Kitchin’s literary executor. In his introduction to the Valancourt edition of Kitchin’s The Book of Life, King recalls meeting Kitchin after the two wrote fan letters to one another in 1958 that crossed in the mail: King had written in praise of Ten Pollitt Place, while Kitchin’s letter had expressed admiration for the younger novelist’s The Man on the Rock (1957). King wrote, ‘[B]y the time that I met him, his fate was that of many elderly, once famous writers in England. Instead of lead reviews, he now got two or three paragraphs at the bottom of a page. Increasingly critics would apply the dread word “veteran” to him, much to his annoyance.’ This frustration is echoed in his novel Ten Pollitt Place, where Kitchin portrays himself in the character of the aging novelist Justin Bray.

Kitchin, who was gay, lived with his partner Clive Preen, an accountant, from 1930 until Preen’s death in 1944. C.H.B. Kitchin died in 1967.

Reviews

[Bill Silva · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tragicomic indictment of the English class system and Edwardian-era hypocrisy…with an obvious queer subtext. Interesting…but not much else to recommend it.

[ALEARDO ZANGHELLINI · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great book by Kitchin, who is rapidly becoming one of my favourite authors. Written in his distinctive style, which is never either overdone or underdone, but just right. Francis, the self-absorbed young boy who is the book’s main character, is hilarious, with class consciousness aplenty and dreams of grandeur, but also very believable. The book is very much his personal story - the parable of how his dreams of social honour and affluence are crushed - while at the same time unobtrusively providing clever social commentary on the class system of the Edwardian era. And finally there is the book’s treatment of same-sex desire, as surprisingly and refreshingly unapologetic as in the other Kitchin books I have read. Francis’s same-sex attraction is not the story’s main object, but rather a narrative device to move the events forward to their final climax. Even more remarkably by today’s standards - with our collective obsession with paedophilia - is the fact that the object of Francis’s desires is a former headmaster with a dodgy past, who reciprocates Francis’ interest (while exerting self-restraint). The implicit prospect of their future reunion (when Francis comes of age) acts as a counterpoint to the book’s otherwise relatively tragic ending. Off the top of my head I can’t think of any other mid-century author who can write about same-sex desire with quite the same lightness of touch.

[Liz Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite Good

Very old fashioned, I enjoyed it. Although I felt it wasn't quite finished as to what happened to the main character after his grandfather's death and more detail as to his uncle's death.

[Jon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written. A pleasure to read.

[Rupert Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

superb exploration of adolescence, very funny and disturbing.

[Richard Derus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: Set in the twilight of the Edwardian era, this is the story of Francis Froxwell, a young orphan fascinated by his grandfather's 'Book of Life', a ledger that lists the immense wealth he and his relatives will inherit when the old man dies. Unhappy at boarding school and treated coldly by his relations, Francis finds solace in the thought of his future fortune and a possible baronetcy. Francis's only friends are his uncle Demetrius, whose affair with a divorcée has made him the black sheep of the family, and Jimmy Waring, a disgraced ex-schoolmaster and the brother of Demetrius's mistress. As Francis finds himself unwittingly caught up in the intrigues of these two men, a chain of events is set in motion leading to sex, scandal, blackmail, and death . . . and the elimination of at least one name from the 'Book of Life'.

An unjustly neglected novelist, C.H.B. Kitchin (1895-1967) was best known for his early mystery novels and was frustrated later in life when he continued to turn out minor masterpieces like [Ten Pollitt Place] (1957) and [The Book of Life] (1960), which won critical acclaim but were largely overlooked by the book-buying public. This edition features an introduction by Francis King.


My Review: There is a little teensy warm spot in whatever it is that passes for my heart saved just for old-fashioned, mannered stories and prose. This book sat directly on the spot, and almost extinguished the warmth.

The story of an orphan with Great Expectations isn't new or fresh, but the spin Kitchin (almost) puts on it...coming of age as gay in the Edwardian Era...was tenuous at best, and sank with barely a bubble in the narrative flow. So, in the end, it's Great Expectations Disappointed and some highly noxious people benefit from the main character's fall from grandparental favor.

Blech.

But there is still a lovely lilt to Kitchin's words. The characters, for all the unpleasantness of their personalities, are sharply and wittily limned in vitriol and rosewater. In some moods, that's enough. For me, this wasn't one of those moods. Too bad.