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FAG
Brierley's Boarding School for Boys, 1930s
Gray - a kindly but weak teacher with a secret he cannot reveal
Hodges - a headmaster who wields a terrifying and brutal power
Keen - a first year boy bullied viciously and mercilessly
Smythe - a ringleader intent on enforcing his fagging rights
Thompson - a prefect struggling just to survive
A new term opens with appalling tragedy, the repercussions of which lead to devastating consequences. The headmaster, who will stop at nothing to cover up the incident, fights for the reputation of Brierley's, while several of the school's inhabitants are left fighting for their lives.
A novel of approximately 73,000 words. Readers should note that the book contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and adult themes.
www.fagthenovel.com
Gray - a kindly but weak teacher with a secret he cannot reveal
Hodges - a headmaster who wields a terrifying and brutal power
Keen - a first year boy bullied viciously and mercilessly
Smythe - a ringleader intent on enforcing his fagging rights
Thompson - a prefect struggling just to survive
A new term opens with appalling tragedy, the repercussions of which lead to devastating consequences. The headmaster, who will stop at nothing to cover up the incident, fights for the reputation of Brierley's, while several of the school's inhabitants are left fighting for their lives.
A novel of approximately 73,000 words. Readers should note that the book contains strong language, scenes of a sexual nature and adult themes.
www.fagthenovel.com
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2014
15 people are currently reading
572 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Hill
25 books76 followersJonathan Hill is an author from Manchester, UK.
His work isn’t confined to one genre, but he has already published a number of gay literary fiction books to high critical acclaim. His debut novel 'FAG', a hard-hitting story set in an English boarding school in the 1930s, was named as the overall winner in the Self-Published and Small Press 2014 Book Awards.
He has also penned the hit comedy series of Maureen books, in addition to numerous short stories and 100-word drabbles. Jonathan firmly believes that writing should not only entertain but also enhance and change the way readers view the world.
When he’s not writing and working as a pharmacist, he enjoys painting, photography and going to the theatre.
www.jhillwriter.com
www.fagthenovel.com
His work isn’t confined to one genre, but he has already published a number of gay literary fiction books to high critical acclaim. His debut novel 'FAG', a hard-hitting story set in an English boarding school in the 1930s, was named as the overall winner in the Self-Published and Small Press 2014 Book Awards.
He has also penned the hit comedy series of Maureen books, in addition to numerous short stories and 100-word drabbles. Jonathan firmly believes that writing should not only entertain but also enhance and change the way readers view the world.
When he’s not writing and working as a pharmacist, he enjoys painting, photography and going to the theatre.
www.jhillwriter.com
www.fagthenovel.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 14, 2014
The deeply hidden desires of boarding school master, John Gray, collide with an unspeakable crime. As he stands alone to safeguard a junior pupil from the brutal bullying of four prefects, he comes up against a school determined to protect its reputation, even if it means destroying a brilliant teacher.
This novel digs deep into the soul of the main character to unearth his most personal thoughts, desires, and secrets, which ultimately lead to a slow breakdown that is both intimate and intrusive to witness. It explores themes of hidden desire, temptation, and betrayal with an honesty that is rare.
By making one of the defining incidents of the novel not clearly black or white, but with shades of grey - no pun intended - the author kept me conflicted about what a reasonable outcome should be. The author’s skilful use of language also draws great imagery with an ease that retains the smooth flow of the text.
I found the novel so hypnotic that I read it in a couple of days, something which I have rarely done recently.
I have seen it mentioned that this work is reminiscent of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, which I very much agree with, and it is every bit as powerful.
This is a thoroughly compelling read, which I would highly recommend.
This novel digs deep into the soul of the main character to unearth his most personal thoughts, desires, and secrets, which ultimately lead to a slow breakdown that is both intimate and intrusive to witness. It explores themes of hidden desire, temptation, and betrayal with an honesty that is rare.
By making one of the defining incidents of the novel not clearly black or white, but with shades of grey - no pun intended - the author kept me conflicted about what a reasonable outcome should be. The author’s skilful use of language also draws great imagery with an ease that retains the smooth flow of the text.
I found the novel so hypnotic that I read it in a couple of days, something which I have rarely done recently.
I have seen it mentioned that this work is reminiscent of William Golding's Lord of the Flies, which I very much agree with, and it is every bit as powerful.
This is a thoroughly compelling read, which I would highly recommend.
October 25, 2016
This is another book I read - with a lost review.
"FAG" takes place in a British Boarding School ....
Heartbreaking and beautifully written!!
I love Jonathan Hill !!!
"FAG" takes place in a British Boarding School ....
Heartbreaking and beautifully written!!
I love Jonathan Hill !!!
May 25, 2014
This story, set in an English boarding school in the 1930s, looks at the effects of bullying and of a system in which the strongest survive. The prefects, with the collusion of the Headteacher, rule the school and decide on punishments. One teacher, John Gray, tries to bring the dangers to the head's attention but is not a strong enough character to make a stand. Married to the attractive nurse at the school, he has repressed his natural tendencies all his life and in an age when homosexuality is illegal this makes him vulnerable. We feel the tension mounting and the story moving inexorably towards disaster. The pressure-cooker atmosphere and sense of a world with its own rules is cleverly conveyed and the result is inevitable tragedy. The Head will do anything to cover it up and the pupils will do anything to survive. It's tense, bleak and so very unfair.
This is the author's first full length work and I found it totally absorbing and thought provoking. It is fraught with tension. There's hormonal teenage sexuality but never release or satisfaction. There is a man driven to the brink of madness but I'm pleased to say, I found a chink of light towards the end. Stunning!
This is the author's first full length work and I found it totally absorbing and thought provoking. It is fraught with tension. There's hormonal teenage sexuality but never release or satisfaction. There is a man driven to the brink of madness but I'm pleased to say, I found a chink of light towards the end. Stunning!
December 23, 2014
"FAG", was my chosen sauna read! ....a book which usually takes me longer to read --because I'm not in the sauna hours at a time ---but visit most days before an outdoor shower.
Jonathan Hill, is my friend on Goodreads. I had connected with him years ago. I'm sorry it took me so long to read one of his books. His others are MUCH different --I understand --(lighter, playful, love, fun adventures--which everyone 'raves')
FAG is NOT --light -and FUN -- However -- its very well written --a reminder of why we must remember!
This story takes place in a Boy's Private School --1930's -England. The opening line of the novel is says it all: "Brierley's was devoid almost everything that makes a school a school",
As the story unfolds, emotional tensions spread like a is a disease filled with homophobia, bullying, humiliations, fears, anxieties, and isolation.
Jonathan Hill wrote this book with his heart -Its SAD.
Yet--the Jonathan I've gotten to know on Goodreads --is HAPPY....and REAL. He's a very compassionate-friendly guy! I'm honored to be his friend here on Goodreads --
It was a honor to read his book!
Jonathan Hill, is my friend on Goodreads. I had connected with him years ago. I'm sorry it took me so long to read one of his books. His others are MUCH different --I understand --(lighter, playful, love, fun adventures--which everyone 'raves')
FAG is NOT --light -and FUN -- However -- its very well written --a reminder of why we must remember!
This story takes place in a Boy's Private School --1930's -England. The opening line of the novel is says it all: "Brierley's was devoid almost everything that makes a school a school",
As the story unfolds, emotional tensions spread like a is a disease filled with homophobia, bullying, humiliations, fears, anxieties, and isolation.
Jonathan Hill wrote this book with his heart -Its SAD.
Yet--the Jonathan I've gotten to know on Goodreads --is HAPPY....and REAL. He's a very compassionate-friendly guy! I'm honored to be his friend here on Goodreads --
It was a honor to read his book!
January 5, 2015
Despite it's somewhat uncomfortable and controversial title this is a fantastic book. If I could give half stars I would bump it up to 4.5 stars.
It takes place at a British boarding school in the 1930's. Before I read this I had never heard the term fagging before but I guess in the UK at boy's boarding schools it is something that is similar to what we would call hazing in fraternities in the US. So this book centers around 4 prefects, their fag, and a Latin teacher. There are all sorts of bullying issues, sexual orientation issues, power issues, and general coming of age issues that are all really well handled by the author. Parts of this book broke my heart and I will be thinking about these characters for a long time. Even though this took place in the 1930's it could have easily happened today and is a good reminder for us all to stand up to bullying and hate.
It takes place at a British boarding school in the 1930's. Before I read this I had never heard the term fagging before but I guess in the UK at boy's boarding schools it is something that is similar to what we would call hazing in fraternities in the US. So this book centers around 4 prefects, their fag, and a Latin teacher. There are all sorts of bullying issues, sexual orientation issues, power issues, and general coming of age issues that are all really well handled by the author. Parts of this book broke my heart and I will be thinking about these characters for a long time. Even though this took place in the 1930's it could have easily happened today and is a good reminder for us all to stand up to bullying and hate.
July 31, 2014
The epigraph to Jonathan Hill's first novel is taken from Virgil's The Aeneid and it speaks of arms and the man; one whom is exiled by fate; a traveller assailed by land and sea. And it is The Aeneid which is a leitmotif within the novel, threading artlessly between the plot, the action and the narrative: beautifully stitching the whole tale together internally from beginning to end.
The Aeneid is also an objective correlative for the novel's embattled dual protagonists: both of whom are metaphorically exiled in their own land because of the nature of their sexual orientation. One is a teacher of Classics at Brierley's, a celebrated English public (i.e.private) school. The other is a prefect at the school and a promising student of Latin.
The opening sentence of the novel sets its ironic tone perfectly: "Brierley's was devoid of almost everything that makes a school a school". This is literally true in the sense that the school has broken up for the Christmas holidays. Yet it is also true in terms of the school's values. For Brierley's is a microcosm of the brutal society of the 1930s which is characterised by notions of survival of the fittest, chauvinism, corruption and hypocrisy: a society in which homosexuality is illegal, punishable by social ostracism and prison. And no-one exemplifies Brierley's values more than Hodges, its dictatorial, manipulative, unethical and inherently criminal headmaster.
The novel's omniscient narrator informs us that if Brierley's were a factory its product would be men; yet, paradoxically, at this school the boys are turned into men not by their teachers but by themselves. For such is the oppressive and abusive nature of the institution; its lack of regard for the observance of law, justice and civilised behaviour; the refusal of its custodians to intervene to prevent injustice, that the concomitant anomie which is the consequence of such moral bankruptcy, quickly forces the boys to become brutal men in order to survive. For the boys' own peers are capable of "the most horrendous and limitless evil" and Brierley's is a place where you can often only survive by using your fists.
Teaching in this travesty of a school is John Gray, the Classics master. Gray is a brilliant teacher, but because he is civilised and liberal and does not believe that the best results are
achieved by tyranny he is perceived as weak. He is ineffectual at controlling the boys and is humiliated by them. He is therefore inimical to Brierley's ethos in which the absolute imposition of the will is the paramount virtue. We can see the kind of man Gray is when we learn that he prefers to use green ink when marking books because he feels that red ink might offend the boys' sensibilities and de-motivate them. Gray tries to keep confrontations to the minimum because in any encounter he knows that he will invariably lose. He is intimidated
by the older boys whom he knows speculate pruriently about him and his wife's sexual relations. Consequently he is a deeply unhappy man. In addition to his professional problems his marriage is heading towards the rocks because of his conflicted sexuality and he drinks heavily.
Jonathan Hill's novel is an indictment of the pupil-servant system that was widespread in English public schools. Hence the book's somewhat ambiguous and equivocal title. Under this system young boys are required to minister to the needs of the oldest boys, (the prefects)no matter how extreme those needs may be. As this practice operates within a closed institution such as a boarding school it makes the pupil-servants vulnerable to continual physical, psychological and emotional abuse. Most of the younger boys stoically endure this in the expectation that one day they too will become prefects and ultimately be in a position to hand out similar rough treatment to their own pupil-servants. And so the cycle of bullying is perpetuated.
Jonathan Hill's plot is too good to give away so I will not describe it in too much detail. Gray becomes aware of the egregious bullying of one of the young pupil-servants by a group of prefects that includes his cherished Latin scholar, Thompson. Gray complains about the abuse to the headmaster who refuses to act. Indeed, he justifies the prefects' appalling behaviour on the grounds that if the prefects did not assert their authority "then the foundation of the school would crumble." The usual fascist justification for overlooking and defending evil in whatever circumstances. Because the abuse and bullying go unchecked a tragedy inevitably ensues. The establishment closes ranks and a massive cover up follows. The need for Gray to be disgraced and removed then becomes imperative and he is condemned by the use of circumstantial evidence provided by the one he most trusts and admires.
The novel's plot is masterly but its most satisfying aspect comes at the book's end. Here, Jonathan Hill achieves that most difficult of conclusions: the ironic ending which combines both the positive and the negative: closure has been achieved and although much has been lost much has also has been gained in terms of wisdom and experience. And in the novel's epilogue the author magnificently confounds our previous perceptions by an astonishingly ingenious use of flashback which he handles with such skilful ambiguity that it is not until the final page or so that we understand what truly happened in Gray's study. It is then that we experience the full impact of Jonathan Hill's irony.
The characters are all extremely well drawn but character is not just a set of traits or a bundle of attitudes, for the true essence of character is only revealed in circumstances of extreme pressure when the stakes are raised and difficult choices have to be made: it is only then that the real person comes out. Jonathan Hill understands this very well and applies the technique throughout. He uses the plot to pressurise his characters and so force from them their essence. This is what makes them so real.
The standard of the prose often reaches great heights. Parents see their children "grow and develop in sharp spurts. A flick-book with most of the pages torn out." Gray's memories of his mother have been snatched away from him "like sea water relentlessly eating into a cliff face." A "whirlpool of whispers" is a "sinister susurration." Pupils are "reluctant . . to raise their heads above the parapet of mediocrity and publicly shine in front of their classmates." And the passages describing the bullying and abuse by the prefects are so graphic and real that reading them is almost unbearable.
Some of the incidents in Jonathan Hill's novel are ugly and brutal, therefore his occasional use of ugly and brutal language in the narration and in the characters' discourse is appropriate and apposite. The author has not fallen into the trap of depicting the 1930s in the sanitised terms of the censorship which applied at the time and which presented the decade unrealistically, so that the middle and upper classes were depicted as never using swearwords and the lower classes were depicted as swearing in ludicrous and unreal euphemisms such as "blinking", "dratting", "darn it" and "nitwit" instead of using the honest and real oaths they would naturally have used in everyday life. By avoiding this the author has managed to bring the 1930s to life in a way that is both believable and contemporary. For this he should be congratulated.
Ever since I read Jonathan Hill's two wonderful collections of short stories, "Eclectic" and "Beyond Eclectic" I have been hoping that he would write a novel. This is it and it is magnificent. It fulfils all of the promise of those wonderful short stories and presages even greater glories. It is a novel that has echoes of other school fiction and drama such as Tom Brown's Schooldays, Lord of the Flies, The Browning Version and Term of Trial, yet, for all that, it is completely singular and original. An impressive and dramatic debut novel. Highly
recommended.
The Aeneid is also an objective correlative for the novel's embattled dual protagonists: both of whom are metaphorically exiled in their own land because of the nature of their sexual orientation. One is a teacher of Classics at Brierley's, a celebrated English public (i.e.private) school. The other is a prefect at the school and a promising student of Latin.
The opening sentence of the novel sets its ironic tone perfectly: "Brierley's was devoid of almost everything that makes a school a school". This is literally true in the sense that the school has broken up for the Christmas holidays. Yet it is also true in terms of the school's values. For Brierley's is a microcosm of the brutal society of the 1930s which is characterised by notions of survival of the fittest, chauvinism, corruption and hypocrisy: a society in which homosexuality is illegal, punishable by social ostracism and prison. And no-one exemplifies Brierley's values more than Hodges, its dictatorial, manipulative, unethical and inherently criminal headmaster.
The novel's omniscient narrator informs us that if Brierley's were a factory its product would be men; yet, paradoxically, at this school the boys are turned into men not by their teachers but by themselves. For such is the oppressive and abusive nature of the institution; its lack of regard for the observance of law, justice and civilised behaviour; the refusal of its custodians to intervene to prevent injustice, that the concomitant anomie which is the consequence of such moral bankruptcy, quickly forces the boys to become brutal men in order to survive. For the boys' own peers are capable of "the most horrendous and limitless evil" and Brierley's is a place where you can often only survive by using your fists.
Teaching in this travesty of a school is John Gray, the Classics master. Gray is a brilliant teacher, but because he is civilised and liberal and does not believe that the best results are
achieved by tyranny he is perceived as weak. He is ineffectual at controlling the boys and is humiliated by them. He is therefore inimical to Brierley's ethos in which the absolute imposition of the will is the paramount virtue. We can see the kind of man Gray is when we learn that he prefers to use green ink when marking books because he feels that red ink might offend the boys' sensibilities and de-motivate them. Gray tries to keep confrontations to the minimum because in any encounter he knows that he will invariably lose. He is intimidated
by the older boys whom he knows speculate pruriently about him and his wife's sexual relations. Consequently he is a deeply unhappy man. In addition to his professional problems his marriage is heading towards the rocks because of his conflicted sexuality and he drinks heavily.
Jonathan Hill's novel is an indictment of the pupil-servant system that was widespread in English public schools. Hence the book's somewhat ambiguous and equivocal title. Under this system young boys are required to minister to the needs of the oldest boys, (the prefects)no matter how extreme those needs may be. As this practice operates within a closed institution such as a boarding school it makes the pupil-servants vulnerable to continual physical, psychological and emotional abuse. Most of the younger boys stoically endure this in the expectation that one day they too will become prefects and ultimately be in a position to hand out similar rough treatment to their own pupil-servants. And so the cycle of bullying is perpetuated.
Jonathan Hill's plot is too good to give away so I will not describe it in too much detail. Gray becomes aware of the egregious bullying of one of the young pupil-servants by a group of prefects that includes his cherished Latin scholar, Thompson. Gray complains about the abuse to the headmaster who refuses to act. Indeed, he justifies the prefects' appalling behaviour on the grounds that if the prefects did not assert their authority "then the foundation of the school would crumble." The usual fascist justification for overlooking and defending evil in whatever circumstances. Because the abuse and bullying go unchecked a tragedy inevitably ensues. The establishment closes ranks and a massive cover up follows. The need for Gray to be disgraced and removed then becomes imperative and he is condemned by the use of circumstantial evidence provided by the one he most trusts and admires.
The novel's plot is masterly but its most satisfying aspect comes at the book's end. Here, Jonathan Hill achieves that most difficult of conclusions: the ironic ending which combines both the positive and the negative: closure has been achieved and although much has been lost much has also has been gained in terms of wisdom and experience. And in the novel's epilogue the author magnificently confounds our previous perceptions by an astonishingly ingenious use of flashback which he handles with such skilful ambiguity that it is not until the final page or so that we understand what truly happened in Gray's study. It is then that we experience the full impact of Jonathan Hill's irony.
The characters are all extremely well drawn but character is not just a set of traits or a bundle of attitudes, for the true essence of character is only revealed in circumstances of extreme pressure when the stakes are raised and difficult choices have to be made: it is only then that the real person comes out. Jonathan Hill understands this very well and applies the technique throughout. He uses the plot to pressurise his characters and so force from them their essence. This is what makes them so real.
The standard of the prose often reaches great heights. Parents see their children "grow and develop in sharp spurts. A flick-book with most of the pages torn out." Gray's memories of his mother have been snatched away from him "like sea water relentlessly eating into a cliff face." A "whirlpool of whispers" is a "sinister susurration." Pupils are "reluctant . . to raise their heads above the parapet of mediocrity and publicly shine in front of their classmates." And the passages describing the bullying and abuse by the prefects are so graphic and real that reading them is almost unbearable.
Some of the incidents in Jonathan Hill's novel are ugly and brutal, therefore his occasional use of ugly and brutal language in the narration and in the characters' discourse is appropriate and apposite. The author has not fallen into the trap of depicting the 1930s in the sanitised terms of the censorship which applied at the time and which presented the decade unrealistically, so that the middle and upper classes were depicted as never using swearwords and the lower classes were depicted as swearing in ludicrous and unreal euphemisms such as "blinking", "dratting", "darn it" and "nitwit" instead of using the honest and real oaths they would naturally have used in everyday life. By avoiding this the author has managed to bring the 1930s to life in a way that is both believable and contemporary. For this he should be congratulated.
Ever since I read Jonathan Hill's two wonderful collections of short stories, "Eclectic" and "Beyond Eclectic" I have been hoping that he would write a novel. This is it and it is magnificent. It fulfils all of the promise of those wonderful short stories and presages even greater glories. It is a novel that has echoes of other school fiction and drama such as Tom Brown's Schooldays, Lord of the Flies, The Browning Version and Term of Trial, yet, for all that, it is completely singular and original. An impressive and dramatic debut novel. Highly
recommended.
December 21, 2016
In the past I'd read some of this author's "Maureen" work and frankly wasn't that impressed. This book is in a completely different league. It is a tale about a boarding school in the 1930's in the UK. It deals with the practice of younger boys acting as servants for older prefects (fagging). However it also deals with questions about sexuality. I found myself completely engrossed in the story. It also felt really very believable too. Throughout the book there is an underlying tension - well worked and well maintained.
This author has obviously put heart and soul into this tale. That came over to me and made it a great read. For me this was an enormously powerful, tense read. I'll read another by Jonathan Hill soon I hope.
This author has obviously put heart and soul into this tale. That came over to me and made it a great read. For me this was an enormously powerful, tense read. I'll read another by Jonathan Hill soon I hope.
June 21, 2014
Fag by Jonathan Hill
What you’ve got here is a writer at the top of his game, writing about issues he is clearly passionate about. Add to that mix, a story of understated power and the result is what one reviewer described as a masterpiece. I agree completely.
The poignant story is told with some truly elegant and clever writing and I was gripped immediately. The story itself deals with issues which sadly will be forever relevant in society. I for one found some relevancies in my own life, perhaps not in the way the author intended but I think this shows how strong a book this actually is.
There is an impending sense of doom throughout the story and I found the tension so well handled that although, occasionally, I had to put the book down I knew I had to pick it straight back up to find out what happened next. Again, this is a testament to the writer’s obvious skill.
The school and the characters which inhabit it are superbly drawn; even the minor characters are well rounded and add to the bleak outlook for the main character, Grey. You get a real sense of the world closing in around him. Of the frustration and anxiety of his position and of a feeling of desperation and inevitably – hopelessness.
I don’t read many books twice but this is one I will be reading again.
Superb.
What you’ve got here is a writer at the top of his game, writing about issues he is clearly passionate about. Add to that mix, a story of understated power and the result is what one reviewer described as a masterpiece. I agree completely.
The poignant story is told with some truly elegant and clever writing and I was gripped immediately. The story itself deals with issues which sadly will be forever relevant in society. I for one found some relevancies in my own life, perhaps not in the way the author intended but I think this shows how strong a book this actually is.
There is an impending sense of doom throughout the story and I found the tension so well handled that although, occasionally, I had to put the book down I knew I had to pick it straight back up to find out what happened next. Again, this is a testament to the writer’s obvious skill.
The school and the characters which inhabit it are superbly drawn; even the minor characters are well rounded and add to the bleak outlook for the main character, Grey. You get a real sense of the world closing in around him. Of the frustration and anxiety of his position and of a feeling of desperation and inevitably – hopelessness.
I don’t read many books twice but this is one I will be reading again.
Superb.
June 30, 2014
There is nothing wrong with a book designed purely for entertainment, but every so often you read one that really means something as well. This is one of those books. It’s important.
Set in a boys boarding school in 1930s England, this novel looks at the institutionalised bullying that the hierarchies of boarding schools promote. Almost from the start there is an atmosphere of tremendous oppression that affects teachers and pupils alike. But as the story develops, it becomes clear that bullying can take on many forms – involving class, status, age, gender and more.
Jonathan Hill’s writing, already at a high standard with his Maureen stories, evolves here in unexpected ways. He adopts a semi-poetical style, with a lot of rich metaphor and simile throughout. This is beautifully apt since much of the book dances around the whole issue of homosexuality, using the same balletic moves as the characters. This is clearly an author developing his powers by reaching deep within himself.
Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes tragic, but always spellbinding, here we have a book that deserves to be read by everyone. Not just by those looking for entertainment, but by those who also need to be challenged, and perhaps even changed. This is a novel that makes you think about your own prejudices and how they can hurt people far more than your fists ever could.
Set in a boys boarding school in 1930s England, this novel looks at the institutionalised bullying that the hierarchies of boarding schools promote. Almost from the start there is an atmosphere of tremendous oppression that affects teachers and pupils alike. But as the story develops, it becomes clear that bullying can take on many forms – involving class, status, age, gender and more.
Jonathan Hill’s writing, already at a high standard with his Maureen stories, evolves here in unexpected ways. He adopts a semi-poetical style, with a lot of rich metaphor and simile throughout. This is beautifully apt since much of the book dances around the whole issue of homosexuality, using the same balletic moves as the characters. This is clearly an author developing his powers by reaching deep within himself.
Sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes tragic, but always spellbinding, here we have a book that deserves to be read by everyone. Not just by those looking for entertainment, but by those who also need to be challenged, and perhaps even changed. This is a novel that makes you think about your own prejudices and how they can hurt people far more than your fists ever could.
January 5, 2016
I was initially put off this book after reading one of the reviews. I am really glad that I decided to read it anyway and find out for myself. A very harrowing read in places, from the point of view of knowing about the unfairness of life that existed at this stage in our history, but powerless to go back in time and do anything about it.... somewhere along life's way though, there must have been some brave souls who stood up to be counted, as things are a lot different today - not perfect, but a long way forward from how things were then. The feelings of the characters in the story came through strong and clear, eliciting much empathy with the plight of the youngsters being bullied. I was prodding my Kindle at a rate of knots, to turn the pages much more quickly than my normal pace of reading, in places too!! The good old "stiff upper lip" of the times is very visible along with self preservation reasons for perpetuating the adage. Thank you Jonathan.
September 12, 2014
A Review of a Book That Cannot Be Named: By Jonathan Hill
This new novel by Jonathan Hill exceeds all expectations. Having read and enjoyed some of his previous works, I looked forward to this book, but I was surprised at the immediate impact this book had on me. By the end of the first page I knew that this was something special. This book is an award winning book: the world just doesn’t know it yet.
It is highly insightful and a great social commentary, and is as relevant today as it was in the era it is written about. It is not just about the struggles to recognise and live with one’s sexuality, it is about people’s acceptance of corruption within the status quo, and our moral duty to rock the boat.
I pondered how Charles Darwin would view this book, and whether he would argue that Grey was weak and deserved his fate, whereas Smythe was a typical example of the Alpha Male. He might claim that Smythe had truly assessed the world around him and risen to the challenge. He had learned the rules of the game and climbed to the top of the food chain: Simple survival of the fittest.
Then I considered the counter argument that would be heatedly debated by the likes of Henry David Thoreau on our duty to be disobedient if we see fault within society, and I’m sure that George Orwell would likewise have something to say on the matter. Man must strive to rise above his baser animal instincts and become more than an animal. If humanity is to continue to adapt and grow into a better society, we must strive for more than just the survival of the fittest. To do less is an insult to our intelligence.
Darwin would perhaps argue that without men like Smythe, the World Wars would have been lost, but I’m sure that Orwell would have argued that it was exactly because of men like Smythe, that there were so many tragic deaths on the battlefields of Europe, that the quest for dominance and power is the cause of such mass destruction.
Although the book looks at the stigma behind homosexuality in pre WWII Britain, the deeper message within the novel could as easily have been about slavery or to bring it into modern times, it could be about corruption in the banking and political sector, or even the recent genocides around the world. To me, it is about the individual speaking out and demanding justice from the status quo.
This is a powerful tale, written by an author who has found his wings and learned to fly.
One further note: Sadly, despite the claims of free speech, we are not allowed to mention the name of the book, lest it cause offence. It appears that we have become so politically correct that we are being edited for our own convenience by the mighty A-Zon. The mere sight of this three letter word seems to cause shudders within its corporate structure so I am not allowed to write the books title within my review – I could write hardcore erotica and that would be fine, but this three letter word is banned. How sad!.
Is this the heights that we have attained?
This new novel by Jonathan Hill exceeds all expectations. Having read and enjoyed some of his previous works, I looked forward to this book, but I was surprised at the immediate impact this book had on me. By the end of the first page I knew that this was something special. This book is an award winning book: the world just doesn’t know it yet.
It is highly insightful and a great social commentary, and is as relevant today as it was in the era it is written about. It is not just about the struggles to recognise and live with one’s sexuality, it is about people’s acceptance of corruption within the status quo, and our moral duty to rock the boat.
I pondered how Charles Darwin would view this book, and whether he would argue that Grey was weak and deserved his fate, whereas Smythe was a typical example of the Alpha Male. He might claim that Smythe had truly assessed the world around him and risen to the challenge. He had learned the rules of the game and climbed to the top of the food chain: Simple survival of the fittest.
Then I considered the counter argument that would be heatedly debated by the likes of Henry David Thoreau on our duty to be disobedient if we see fault within society, and I’m sure that George Orwell would likewise have something to say on the matter. Man must strive to rise above his baser animal instincts and become more than an animal. If humanity is to continue to adapt and grow into a better society, we must strive for more than just the survival of the fittest. To do less is an insult to our intelligence.
Darwin would perhaps argue that without men like Smythe, the World Wars would have been lost, but I’m sure that Orwell would have argued that it was exactly because of men like Smythe, that there were so many tragic deaths on the battlefields of Europe, that the quest for dominance and power is the cause of such mass destruction.
Although the book looks at the stigma behind homosexuality in pre WWII Britain, the deeper message within the novel could as easily have been about slavery or to bring it into modern times, it could be about corruption in the banking and political sector, or even the recent genocides around the world. To me, it is about the individual speaking out and demanding justice from the status quo.
This is a powerful tale, written by an author who has found his wings and learned to fly.
One further note: Sadly, despite the claims of free speech, we are not allowed to mention the name of the book, lest it cause offence. It appears that we have become so politically correct that we are being edited for our own convenience by the mighty A-Zon. The mere sight of this three letter word seems to cause shudders within its corporate structure so I am not allowed to write the books title within my review – I could write hardcore erotica and that would be fine, but this three letter word is banned. How sad!.
Is this the heights that we have attained?
June 25, 2014
I'm a fan of the author's previous work. The Maureen stories are funny with deceptive emotional depth. His short stories and drabbles are often dark and perceptive and they demonstrate a mastery of the art. This first full novel of his is a very different beast and represents a departure from his usual forms.
Not only does he stretch his literary endurance he also tackles some very difficult and emotive themes and he does so with such a skill that you wouldn't expect this to be his first novel. The bulk of the story takes place in a boys boarding school in the post war years of World War I. The practices of the boys to those weaker than that is shocking and unfortunately not something lost in the mists of history.
Bullying, even in (or maybe especially in) institutional forms is a terrible abuse and such is starkly portrayed on these pages. It also delves into how the boys handle (or don't as the case may be) these difficulties. Accompanying this is the discovery of the characters' sexuality and these are handled in a bold fashion. In many ways this is not a pleasant book to read, there is a great deal of unfairness and grim reality in this story.
It's worth the effort it takes to read. It's a moving tale and it's a testament to the author's talent that he does so in a way that keeps you absorbed in the unfolding events. If this is the quality we get for a first novel then I very much look forward to the next.
Not only does he stretch his literary endurance he also tackles some very difficult and emotive themes and he does so with such a skill that you wouldn't expect this to be his first novel. The bulk of the story takes place in a boys boarding school in the post war years of World War I. The practices of the boys to those weaker than that is shocking and unfortunately not something lost in the mists of history.
Bullying, even in (or maybe especially in) institutional forms is a terrible abuse and such is starkly portrayed on these pages. It also delves into how the boys handle (or don't as the case may be) these difficulties. Accompanying this is the discovery of the characters' sexuality and these are handled in a bold fashion. In many ways this is not a pleasant book to read, there is a great deal of unfairness and grim reality in this story.
It's worth the effort it takes to read. It's a moving tale and it's a testament to the author's talent that he does so in a way that keeps you absorbed in the unfolding events. If this is the quality we get for a first novel then I very much look forward to the next.
January 13, 2016
This book was both beautiful (beautifully written, important, and moving) and heart-wrenching. I got emotional several times while reading it, yet couldn't put it down.
FAG is about a string of events at a boy's school in 1930s England. The prose is painfully and brutally honest as to what "fagging" was like in that environment and time period. The characters are all extremely well-written and fully-developed, layered beings. The story is suspenseful and agonizing (not in the way that it's told, but in the subject matter).
My own experiences with bullying aside, I found even more real-life parallels to this story in recent events in my hometown. Two teenagers on the high school football team forcibly held down another classmate and abused him physically and sexually. The most horrific aspect of this story has been the reactions of some of the people in the town. Opinions are "divided" as some people in support of the team view the "hazing" as "kids being kids." A few weeks ago, one of the members of the football team came to my parents' house asking for signatures for a petition for the coach of the team to not be punished for turning a blind eye on the abuse. It's shameful and horrifying that these things can still happen even in this age.
I believe this book is important and beautifully covers issues that are still very much problems even in our modern world. I'm thankful for Jonathan Hill for writing this story and getting it out into the world. I highly recommend it.
FAG is about a string of events at a boy's school in 1930s England. The prose is painfully and brutally honest as to what "fagging" was like in that environment and time period. The characters are all extremely well-written and fully-developed, layered beings. The story is suspenseful and agonizing (not in the way that it's told, but in the subject matter).
My own experiences with bullying aside, I found even more real-life parallels to this story in recent events in my hometown. Two teenagers on the high school football team forcibly held down another classmate and abused him physically and sexually. The most horrific aspect of this story has been the reactions of some of the people in the town. Opinions are "divided" as some people in support of the team view the "hazing" as "kids being kids." A few weeks ago, one of the members of the football team came to my parents' house asking for signatures for a petition for the coach of the team to not be punished for turning a blind eye on the abuse. It's shameful and horrifying that these things can still happen even in this age.
I believe this book is important and beautifully covers issues that are still very much problems even in our modern world. I'm thankful for Jonathan Hill for writing this story and getting it out into the world. I highly recommend it.
January 3, 2015
"At best, the repressed live a life of half-fulfillment, at worst, a life of tragedy. You are you and no one else."
You know how you run across a book everyone raves about, full of five star reviews, then you read it and don't get the hype? Or feel bad because you didn't enjoy it like the masses? Yeah, that's not what happened here. I saw the high rankings and great feedback but still went in weary. WOW, what a fantastic, but horrific, book.
I didn't read the full summary going in and would urge others to do the same. The overview-it's about horrendous bullying in an all boys boarding school, mixed with homophobia and social pressures. Plus a questionable interaction between a teacher and student. There.
I can't say enough about this book. 5 stars easily, and saying it was emotional or gripping is so cliché, but true. I don't know if I'll ever forget this book, due to the subject matter, title, and characters.
Final thought-I read this as a freebie from the Amazon Prime Kindle thingie, where you can borrow one book a month for free. But I liked it so much I'm buying my own copy to read in the future.
You know how you run across a book everyone raves about, full of five star reviews, then you read it and don't get the hype? Or feel bad because you didn't enjoy it like the masses? Yeah, that's not what happened here. I saw the high rankings and great feedback but still went in weary. WOW, what a fantastic, but horrific, book.
I didn't read the full summary going in and would urge others to do the same. The overview-it's about horrendous bullying in an all boys boarding school, mixed with homophobia and social pressures. Plus a questionable interaction between a teacher and student. There.
I can't say enough about this book. 5 stars easily, and saying it was emotional or gripping is so cliché, but true. I don't know if I'll ever forget this book, due to the subject matter, title, and characters.
Final thought-I read this as a freebie from the Amazon Prime Kindle thingie, where you can borrow one book a month for free. But I liked it so much I'm buying my own copy to read in the future.
June 3, 2014
The title initially refers to the ranking system prevalent among pupils in the boarding schools of the time. As the harrowing story progresses however the word reverts to its more derogatory connotation.
The exquisite style of the writing belies the underpinning malevolence of the plot, I found myself rereading paragraphs relishing the sheer elegance of the narrative while paradoxically dreading discovering what indignities the characters were going to have to endure next.
The main impact of the book lies in the author’s portrayal of the use, misuse and interplay of power between both pupils and masters which leads to treachery, prejudice and ultimately tragedy.
On recommending this novel to friends and colleagues in the equality and diversity field I don’t think I exaggerated when I described it as a modern masterpiece.
August 3, 2016
FAG is the story of life in an 1930s English boys boarding school. It is an unsettling read of bullying, intolerance and non-acceptance.
I sort of knew what was going to happen and it wasn't pleasant reading. This was a very well written book. The pain of the characters came through and it was heartbreaking at times. In writing this review, all I can think of are clichés, but that's because they are true.
In saying that this is a harrowing story, it is a page turner. As things spiral downwards, I needed to know what was going to happen next, with the hope that things would turn out OK.
This author is known for his light-hearted Maureen series of books and this one is a lifetime away from them. I will be thinking of this book for some time.
I sort of knew what was going to happen and it wasn't pleasant reading. This was a very well written book. The pain of the characters came through and it was heartbreaking at times. In writing this review, all I can think of are clichés, but that's because they are true.
In saying that this is a harrowing story, it is a page turner. As things spiral downwards, I needed to know what was going to happen next, with the hope that things would turn out OK.
This author is known for his light-hearted Maureen series of books and this one is a lifetime away from them. I will be thinking of this book for some time.
May 30, 2016
This is an extraordinary novel, which at times I wondered if I could bear to continue reading, only to find myself making excuses to pick it up again. It is, without a doubt, the hardest book I've read. I finished it two days ago, and it's still on my mind...
How to explain.
OK, so, this will be a bit abstract, because I don't want to give anything away that's not in the blurb.
This is the sort of story that raises lots of questions, not in the sense that there is no conclusion. The conclusion is very satisfying, and a happy ending, in some senses. I was delighted/relieved to see a good outcome for the character I was behind from the outset, and tempted to throw a party in respect of what happened to another character. He deserved far worse.
The tragedy. God, it hurt. And then it hurt again, and again, and there is some wonderfully clever cliffhanger writing at these various points where it's impossible to predict which way things will go.
The language is interesting, and I know some readers have been critical of the use of contemporary language in a novel set in the 1930s, but there simply were no words to describe much of what needed describing here. Now, whether this was an author oversight (it was his first novel, I read elsewhere - his FIRST! Wow!) or a tactical move, it gave me brief pause on the first occasion, but that was all. That aside, this is literary fiction which, by and large, remains true to the setting/era.
So, with all that neutral stuff out of the way, let me explain a few things that made this the hardest book I've ever read. Until two years ago, I taught in a high school. We've come a long way in the UK since the 1930s, and a state high school has a very different culture to a public boarding school. That said, bullying happens in all large institutions, and not just the big kids bullying the little kids. I've witnessed the longterm effects of bullying at very close hand - the depression, anxiety, self-harm - and I've been in John Gray's shoes, when the powers-that-be don't want to hear, or the system has no means of addressing what is a life-threatening situation for a young person.
There are other 'triggers' in this story, and it hit a fair few of the issues I usually avoid in books because I can't deal with them, but once I started reading, I had to keep on reading. I put my trust in the author to deliver the kind of ending that would make it all better. I also appreciate the author not delivering an unrealistic 'happy ever after' style ending, because this is a narrative of a bleak and awful time in British cultural history. But there is plenty of hope in that ending. Sadness, too, that for some it was too late.
I'm glad I trusted the author. I'm glad he wrote this book. The next time we're in the same place at the same time...well, I can't decide if I owe him a beer or he owes me one!
In summary, this is an outstanding novel of social/cultural importance. It's not an easy read, but it's an excellent one.
How to explain.
OK, so, this will be a bit abstract, because I don't want to give anything away that's not in the blurb.
This is the sort of story that raises lots of questions, not in the sense that there is no conclusion. The conclusion is very satisfying, and a happy ending, in some senses. I was delighted/relieved to see a good outcome for the character I was behind from the outset, and tempted to throw a party in respect of what happened to another character. He deserved far worse.
The tragedy. God, it hurt. And then it hurt again, and again, and there is some wonderfully clever cliffhanger writing at these various points where it's impossible to predict which way things will go.
The language is interesting, and I know some readers have been critical of the use of contemporary language in a novel set in the 1930s, but there simply were no words to describe much of what needed describing here. Now, whether this was an author oversight (it was his first novel, I read elsewhere - his FIRST! Wow!) or a tactical move, it gave me brief pause on the first occasion, but that was all. That aside, this is literary fiction which, by and large, remains true to the setting/era.
So, with all that neutral stuff out of the way, let me explain a few things that made this the hardest book I've ever read. Until two years ago, I taught in a high school. We've come a long way in the UK since the 1930s, and a state high school has a very different culture to a public boarding school. That said, bullying happens in all large institutions, and not just the big kids bullying the little kids. I've witnessed the longterm effects of bullying at very close hand - the depression, anxiety, self-harm - and I've been in John Gray's shoes, when the powers-that-be don't want to hear, or the system has no means of addressing what is a life-threatening situation for a young person.
There are other 'triggers' in this story, and it hit a fair few of the issues I usually avoid in books because I can't deal with them, but once I started reading, I had to keep on reading. I put my trust in the author to deliver the kind of ending that would make it all better. I also appreciate the author not delivering an unrealistic 'happy ever after' style ending, because this is a narrative of a bleak and awful time in British cultural history. But there is plenty of hope in that ending. Sadness, too, that for some it was too late.
I'm glad I trusted the author. I'm glad he wrote this book. The next time we're in the same place at the same time...well, I can't decide if I owe him a beer or he owes me one!
In summary, this is an outstanding novel of social/cultural importance. It's not an easy read, but it's an excellent one.
June 3, 2014
Set in a boarding school for boys in the late 1930s the book examines the complex relationships that exist in this microcosmic world. The themes are bullying, prejudice, homophobia and personal isolation which are explored through an increasingly perturbing but totally convincing plot. I think the book could also be read as an allegory for emergent fascism and its resonances are dark and disturbing.
Nevertheless, the book is very compelling and once started I found it very difficult to stop reading it. It is a challenging and thought provoking book that is very well written and deals with complex issues with sensitivity and honesty.
Although the content is bleak it is counterpointed with good descriptive writing which softens the harsh realities of the storyline and prevents the book from becoming too depressive.
I've already read most of Jonathan Hill's previous books and was looking forward to reading this his debut novel. He has already demonstrated his abilities as a writer in the 'Maureen' novellas and short story collections. This book goes in a completely different direction but it shares with some of the earlier writing an empathy with the outsider that is explored to a much greater depth here. The author does not shy away from the physical intimacies which are an integral part of the story but this aspect of the writing not voyeuristic, exploitative or sensationalised.
The final development of the novel is unexpected and poignant with the hint of the possibility of a better future. The author's personal appraisal in the final pages of the book reminds us that complacency in relation to prejudice of all kinds is too easy and too dangerous.
Well deserving of five stars and highly recommended.
Nevertheless, the book is very compelling and once started I found it very difficult to stop reading it. It is a challenging and thought provoking book that is very well written and deals with complex issues with sensitivity and honesty.
Although the content is bleak it is counterpointed with good descriptive writing which softens the harsh realities of the storyline and prevents the book from becoming too depressive.
I've already read most of Jonathan Hill's previous books and was looking forward to reading this his debut novel. He has already demonstrated his abilities as a writer in the 'Maureen' novellas and short story collections. This book goes in a completely different direction but it shares with some of the earlier writing an empathy with the outsider that is explored to a much greater depth here. The author does not shy away from the physical intimacies which are an integral part of the story but this aspect of the writing not voyeuristic, exploitative or sensationalised.
The final development of the novel is unexpected and poignant with the hint of the possibility of a better future. The author's personal appraisal in the final pages of the book reminds us that complacency in relation to prejudice of all kinds is too easy and too dangerous.
Well deserving of five stars and highly recommended.
October 22, 2014
This powerful story is set in a 1930's boarding school for boys. The brutality reminded me of 'Lord of the Flies', however this story is a different one. The hierarchy of prefects and younger boys is rigid and used as an excuse for cruel and humiliating behaviour. Such behaviour is both tolerated and ignored, with devastating consequences.
The title has two meanings, one a describing the 'lower classes' of the public school system and the menial tasks expected of them; the other if far more sinister as a derogatory term. Both uses of the word are used in the story and I feel they are appropriate for the time and for the intended impact.
This book is nothing like Hill's previous works, the 'Maureen' stories, which are written with a much lighter touch, as is appropriate for them.
I was concerned, early on, that the book was going to be over-written and did think once that the author should 'step away from the thesaurus', but the style soon settled down into a beautifully descriptive yet searingly powerful brutality.
Whilst the story has the power to shock, the ending is uplifting, clever and I found it satisfying.
There is an after-note by the author, which is refreshingly honest and added a powerful dimension to the story.
The title has two meanings, one a describing the 'lower classes' of the public school system and the menial tasks expected of them; the other if far more sinister as a derogatory term. Both uses of the word are used in the story and I feel they are appropriate for the time and for the intended impact.
This book is nothing like Hill's previous works, the 'Maureen' stories, which are written with a much lighter touch, as is appropriate for them.
I was concerned, early on, that the book was going to be over-written and did think once that the author should 'step away from the thesaurus', but the style soon settled down into a beautifully descriptive yet searingly powerful brutality.
Whilst the story has the power to shock, the ending is uplifting, clever and I found it satisfying.
There is an after-note by the author, which is refreshingly honest and added a powerful dimension to the story.
May 16, 2015
What can I say that hasn’t been said so eloquently by others. This is a powerful story of survival in an English boarding school. My heart went out to Keen, Thompson and Gray.
This is a must read.
This is a must read.
June 15, 2015
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway knowing little about it. As a passionate advocate of rights for all humans regardless of sex, gender or sexuality I figured I would be sympathetic to the major themes of this work. Moreover, I respect any literature that includes contemporary social or political issues within its thematic scope; it's a risky artistic choice since so many readers seek to escape troubles -- both personal and societal -- through their reading. Accordingly, it seems to me that a focus on an unpleasant reality -- the widespread stigma that attaches to homosexuality in our society (this seems a gross understatement of the phenomenon to which I refer) -- shows seriousness of purpose and admirable literary ambition in an author.
Jonathan Hill's novel exceeded whatever vague expectations I had before reading the work. I found it to be an emotionally compelling, well-crafted tale that has been thoughtfully structured to create a powerful impact on the reader's mind. This is definitely successful literary fiction. I think that the tremendously insightful analyses included in a number of the reviews of this work are a more powerful testament to the worthwhile reading experience Hill offers his audience than any observation I can personally relate in this context. As other reviewers warn, the story is indeed tragic and can be a harrowing read, but it's a uniquely stimulating one for the heart and the mind, too, for whatever that's worth to you personally.
Thank you for reading my ideas; I hope they shed some useful light on what this book is all about.
Jonathan Hill's novel exceeded whatever vague expectations I had before reading the work. I found it to be an emotionally compelling, well-crafted tale that has been thoughtfully structured to create a powerful impact on the reader's mind. This is definitely successful literary fiction. I think that the tremendously insightful analyses included in a number of the reviews of this work are a more powerful testament to the worthwhile reading experience Hill offers his audience than any observation I can personally relate in this context. As other reviewers warn, the story is indeed tragic and can be a harrowing read, but it's a uniquely stimulating one for the heart and the mind, too, for whatever that's worth to you personally.
Thank you for reading my ideas; I hope they shed some useful light on what this book is all about.
December 16, 2014
I received this book as a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.
It is full of disturbing reality. But I really enjoyed reading it _ I couldn't put it down.
It is full of disturbing reality. But I really enjoyed reading it _ I couldn't put it down.
November 11, 2015
4.0 of 5 stars – Tense, Moving Story of Abuse and Being Gay.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Jonathan!)
I love stories of gay life and YA, and I was intrigued by the use of a historical setting to address current issues. In his debut novel, I was impressed with how well Jonathan Hill crafted a story around the issues of being gay and bullied "for all those who feel, or at some point have felt, unable to be themselves" (as expressed in the book's dedication).
Being in about the same time period and setting, this was like a cross between the abusive Lord of the Flies, the condemning Dead Poet's Society and the more innocent Goodbye, Mr. Chips, with the scenario and boys acting more toward the former. The hazing/bullying (fagging as they called it then - thus the book's title) created the tension that propelled me forward in the story, wanting it to be resolved and find justice. And I felt so much for the victims - wanting to break into song - "Let It Go" from Frozen, or Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off", or chant "It Gets Better".
As the story developed, I felt violated, deceived, betrayed, angry, remorse, vengeful, stupid, defeated, cynical. So Hall did his job well. I guess, these would the same as any discriminated/abused group, so the appeal of this book is beyond just the glbtq community. But just imagine if the energy from that emotion and abuse is internalized, not focused outward - imagine the resulting amount of shame, self-blame, self-hate that would result (as portrayed in these characters). Interestingly, that was one thing I did not feel - self-hate - and I mention that only to highlight another point of the novel (although I think it could have been done better) that "It Gets Better". Those of us who have come out on the other side, figuratively in multiple ways - are scarred but hopefully mature enough to accept ourselves and to not always blame ourselves for what all happens to us. It can get better in that regard.
Hall's style was straightforward and easy to read, helping the action along. At the same time, he also threw in some nicely phrased imagery. However, his language was often too modern for the times, the story predictable, and the plot and characterization was a bit simplistic and played to stereotypes, needing more depth. Even so, he nicely juxtaposed the ideas of individual choice and impact vs. external/societal forces, as well as avoidance, rationalization and collusion. The parallels are plainly drawn to Hitler and Nazi Germany at that time, and we can extrapolate to our own.
Overall, this was a moving, compelling novel that told what it was like, and in some sense what it is like, to be gay and bullied, and how that effected everyone.
(I'm excited to have won this as a Goodreads First Read – so thanks, Jonathan!)
I love stories of gay life and YA, and I was intrigued by the use of a historical setting to address current issues. In his debut novel, I was impressed with how well Jonathan Hill crafted a story around the issues of being gay and bullied "for all those who feel, or at some point have felt, unable to be themselves" (as expressed in the book's dedication).
Being in about the same time period and setting, this was like a cross between the abusive Lord of the Flies, the condemning Dead Poet's Society and the more innocent Goodbye, Mr. Chips, with the scenario and boys acting more toward the former. The hazing/bullying (fagging as they called it then - thus the book's title) created the tension that propelled me forward in the story, wanting it to be resolved and find justice. And I felt so much for the victims - wanting to break into song - "Let It Go" from Frozen, or Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off", or chant "It Gets Better".
As the story developed, I felt violated, deceived, betrayed, angry, remorse, vengeful, stupid, defeated, cynical. So Hall did his job well. I guess, these would the same as any discriminated/abused group, so the appeal of this book is beyond just the glbtq community. But just imagine if the energy from that emotion and abuse is internalized, not focused outward - imagine the resulting amount of shame, self-blame, self-hate that would result (as portrayed in these characters). Interestingly, that was one thing I did not feel - self-hate - and I mention that only to highlight another point of the novel (although I think it could have been done better) that "It Gets Better". Those of us who have come out on the other side, figuratively in multiple ways - are scarred but hopefully mature enough to accept ourselves and to not always blame ourselves for what all happens to us. It can get better in that regard.
Hall's style was straightforward and easy to read, helping the action along. At the same time, he also threw in some nicely phrased imagery. However, his language was often too modern for the times, the story predictable, and the plot and characterization was a bit simplistic and played to stereotypes, needing more depth. Even so, he nicely juxtaposed the ideas of individual choice and impact vs. external/societal forces, as well as avoidance, rationalization and collusion. The parallels are plainly drawn to Hitler and Nazi Germany at that time, and we can extrapolate to our own.
Overall, this was a moving, compelling novel that told what it was like, and in some sense what it is like, to be gay and bullied, and how that effected everyone.
September 16, 2014
I really enjoyed reading the author’s collection of short stories in the Maureen series, so was eager to head into his first full length novel. I have to say if you are looking for Maureen Goes To Boarding School then you are in for a big disappointment as this read is a complete departure in style and content, being very much darker. Set in 1937 in a boys’ boarding school, the style of writing very much reflects that era and dialogue in particular really seems to “fit”. At times I could almost imagine Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson talking in front of me. The title of the book refers to the custom in English boarding schools of first floor boys acting as “servants” to the older boys, fetching and carrying for them and generally doing as they are ordered. A long established custom (phased out now), one which would be all too easy to abuse by a group of prefects used to being at the top of the pecking order.
The story centres around Latin teacher Gray. He has always taken the path of least resistance and tended to turn a blind eye to some goings on at the school. When he is finally face to face with the evidence of bullying at the school, will he be able to find the strength of character to protect the young boy who is suffering and do something about it? If so, will it be too late and will there be ramifications in his own life?
He is a very weak character who finds himself in turmoil not only about the bullying, but his own sexuality. Will he have the strength to face up to what he has long suspected about himself, or will he carry on as before, almost limping along day to day in his stale marriage to school nurse, Grace? Even at the start of the book he seems to be in a fragile state of mind and as events at the school take place, his mind just seems to unravel more and more as his life starts to spiral out of control.
Writing this book has obviously been a very personal journey for the author, he really does seem to have poured his heart out in the telling, so to speak. I did enjoy reading it, even if parts of the story were not quite what I would have chosen to read normally.
The story centres around Latin teacher Gray. He has always taken the path of least resistance and tended to turn a blind eye to some goings on at the school. When he is finally face to face with the evidence of bullying at the school, will he be able to find the strength of character to protect the young boy who is suffering and do something about it? If so, will it be too late and will there be ramifications in his own life?
He is a very weak character who finds himself in turmoil not only about the bullying, but his own sexuality. Will he have the strength to face up to what he has long suspected about himself, or will he carry on as before, almost limping along day to day in his stale marriage to school nurse, Grace? Even at the start of the book he seems to be in a fragile state of mind and as events at the school take place, his mind just seems to unravel more and more as his life starts to spiral out of control.
Writing this book has obviously been a very personal journey for the author, he really does seem to have poured his heart out in the telling, so to speak. I did enjoy reading it, even if parts of the story were not quite what I would have chosen to read normally.
June 5, 2015
I confess I had trouble getting through this, but NOT because of Hill’s writing.
This is a beautifully, elegantly crafted novel. It is literate and evocative, capturing time and place expertly.
Hill gives us characters that are fully-realized and believable. He probes their interiors and bares their souls to the reader.
John Gray and Michael Thompson, teacher and student in an elite boys prep school in England in 1937. It is a story of desperate yearning to fit in, and the horrific results of that yearning. It is powerfully enough told that I felt myself choking on hatred of teenage boys and British private schools and the whole “fagging” system that never existed in American boarding schools. It offers a microcosm of why British men once ruled the world, and why in doing so they expressed every despicable thing that men can be.
See the problem?
I gave this book four stars because of the quality of the writing and the profound truth in the narrative. But it is relentlessly grim, and I can’t say I enjoyed it after the first few chapters, when it became clear the direction it was going to take.
This is me, folks, not the author. I’m a longtime student of gay history and I know how wretched life was for gay men in the good old days. That doesn’t make this book any more fun. However, I plugged on until the final chapter, which is set thirty years later in 1967. That final chapter is the payoff, and while it was as beautiful and heart-wrenching as the rest of the book, it felt like not enough.
The one anachronistic moment was early on in the book, when Hill uses the term “black hole” as a metaphor. It just struck me wrong since the book is set in 1937 and the term wasn’t coined until the 1960s, although the concept had been known earlier.
I hope people will read this book and then comment back to me on my review, because I’d like to talk about it and my reaction.
March 10, 2019
What a fairly difficult book to review... From beginning to end I was torn up between a strong wish to skewer the author for the blemishes conspicuous between those covers and an equally ardent admiration for this young man's sheer literary talent. He does give us a quintessentially British and very male, blunt, honest yet deep and multifaceted novel - so many admirable traits which I find lacking in most MM fiction, not least because female writers disproportionately dominate this genre and clutter it with an orogenesis of terrible books among which the percentage of diamonds in the rubble is to be expressed after a decimal point at best (viz. 0.1%). Mr Hill carefully delivers his painful tale with the kind of seemingly effortless lucidity which would have warranted a much more careful attention to details material and historical and cultural - I felt the educative contents Brierley's is supposed to nurture its charges in to have little to do with what actually obtained in the 1920s and 1930s for its countless non-fictional peers (where on earth is the teaching of beginners' Latin, which most usually remained the yardstick of private, elementary education from the Victorian era onward?), the internal organization, like the place itself, remains hazy and dream-like, and one looks in vain here for anything in the way of an atmospheric evocation of what precisely everyday life could have been for the pupils, faculty and staff. This fuzziness detracts somewhat from the power of the otherwise cleverly done ordeal the main leads have to endure. If I do have only compliments for the pacing and the progress of the story line, I felt that Mr Hill went rather overboard in his dealings with the themes related to authority (homophobia vis à vis of gay panic, corporal punishments and the suppression of discordant voices among the troops) - more subtlety in connection with topics and scenes I cannot spell out without major spoilers, would have had more of an impact than the kind of heavy-handedness this aptly-titled book seems to relish in, for shock values, if not mere entertainement of the Schadenfreude type. Last but not least, Mr Hill asks his readers to swallow a whale of the hugest variety - instead of constructing the whole of the dialogues plus the various internal discourses of the characters according to period English, or at the very least instead of making an attempt at a palatable version of 1930's parlance and intellectual stuff, he couched down the whole lot into his own vernacular, that is: in strictly contemporaneous language. Such cutting of corners - I would go so far as to brand this as laziness and slovenliness, for it stems from the same perfunctory approach to writing as the disregard of historical accuracy the portrayal of Brierley's evinces - must have saved him time and effort, but is most unwarranted insofar as it cheapens the entire struggle of the heroes by inviting us to look at it through grossly anachronical lenses. In this respect I found the title of the novel to be rather in bad taste too, while shockingly anachronical and historically insensitive; any heterosexual-centric slang coined for, or applied to, male homosexuals that was in currency in the English of the era during which the story purports to take place would have been far more apposite without any loss in pithiness, for example 'pansy', 'faggot' then being an Americanism (not the more recent 'fag', thank you very much). Some homework was clearly needed here, which Mr Hill declined to do. On the whole, a strongly-worded, incisive book which would have gained in power had it curbed its fondness for melodrama and had its execution loomed larger on the side of documentary accuracy and faithfulness to what must have been the plight of not a few gender-atypical boys in the UK of the National Government.
October 4, 2020
FAG is Jonathan Hill’s capital work. I’ve read many of his later books, but this one strikes to your core the hardest. With most precision.
As it was emotionally draining for the author to give a painful birth to it, it was emotionally challenging for me as a reader to finish reading it. But it was fulfilling, rewarding, and enriching too. For now I know better Jonathan Hill. And why he writes so freaking marvelous stories.
If you are (not) afraid of the darkness within you, your fears and secrets, read this book. It will shake you, true, and make you watch your tears roll down your cheeks in the mirror of your soul. But it will also comfort you, give you strength and a much-needed hug as it helps you face yourself and raise from your own personal hell, which is not Brierley’s Boarding School for Boys, as it encourages you to embrace your real you. With all your oddities and differences.
I wish every author writes such a brutally honest and impactful book in their lifetime. Books like this make their legacy to this world priceless.
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Visit www.fagthenovel.com.
Follow me on Twitter.
Bernard Jan
As it was emotionally draining for the author to give a painful birth to it, it was emotionally challenging for me as a reader to finish reading it. But it was fulfilling, rewarding, and enriching too. For now I know better Jonathan Hill. And why he writes so freaking marvelous stories.
If you are (not) afraid of the darkness within you, your fears and secrets, read this book. It will shake you, true, and make you watch your tears roll down your cheeks in the mirror of your soul. But it will also comfort you, give you strength and a much-needed hug as it helps you face yourself and raise from your own personal hell, which is not Brierley’s Boarding School for Boys, as it encourages you to embrace your real you. With all your oddities and differences.
I wish every author writes such a brutally honest and impactful book in their lifetime. Books like this make their legacy to this world priceless.
BJ
www.bernardjan.com
Visit www.fagthenovel.com.
Follow me on Twitter.
Bernard Jan
December 30, 2014
I'm conflicted about this book, as it had so much promise and I did enjoy it, yet was irritated by the language.
The book had all the ingredients. The plot was intriguing and exciting (tragic event at boys' boarding school leads to emotional manipulation and struggles of the boys and masters), and the pacing of the story was good. The themes of bullying and sexuality were and are important. The climax of the story lived up to the build-up. The ending was surprisingly hopeful. And the book itself was clearly a labour of love.
Unfortunately, the writing let it down. Although the overwritten start (it improved very quickly) and occasional historical inconsistencies can be forgiven, the modern language in a book based in the 1930s was distracting. Time and again I was sucked into the boys' world only to be slapped back into 21st century. This frustrated me and let down a book that was otherwise brilliant.
Thank you to the author for sending this via First Reads.
The book had all the ingredients. The plot was intriguing and exciting (tragic event at boys' boarding school leads to emotional manipulation and struggles of the boys and masters), and the pacing of the story was good. The themes of bullying and sexuality were and are important. The climax of the story lived up to the build-up. The ending was surprisingly hopeful. And the book itself was clearly a labour of love.
Unfortunately, the writing let it down. Although the overwritten start (it improved very quickly) and occasional historical inconsistencies can be forgiven, the modern language in a book based in the 1930s was distracting. Time and again I was sucked into the boys' world only to be slapped back into 21st century. This frustrated me and let down a book that was otherwise brilliant.
Thank you to the author for sending this via First Reads.
February 10, 2015
What are the consequences of life in the closet? What lengths will homophobes go to keep you in the closet?
The 1930's. A young boy at an English boarding school commits suicide after being hazed unmercifully by the older boys. A teacher fighting his own homosexual urges, is accused of molesting the boy, leading to his death. A gay kid is pulled into the drama and makes a decision that nearly destroys him.
A powerful, disturbing novel of hate and fear and the hope of love.
The 1930's. A young boy at an English boarding school commits suicide after being hazed unmercifully by the older boys. A teacher fighting his own homosexual urges, is accused of molesting the boy, leading to his death. A gay kid is pulled into the drama and makes a decision that nearly destroys him.
A powerful, disturbing novel of hate and fear and the hope of love.
December 21, 2014
I received this book in the return of a honest review.
Honestly i found t hard to read the book and if i would say that i read the whole thing I would lying .
I enjoyed some part of the book when the investigation started and such but no the others (sorry). so after 200 or so pages i just read the epilogue of the book. For this book i would give somewhere in between 2.5 - 3 so i rate it to three.
Honestly i found t hard to read the book and if i would say that i read the whole thing I would lying .
I enjoyed some part of the book when the investigation started and such but no the others (sorry). so after 200 or so pages i just read the epilogue of the book. For this book i would give somewhere in between 2.5 - 3 so i rate it to three.
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