SOLVED. YA fiction: boy at boarding school reads Watership Down when depressed. Split personality/horror [s]

[Rachel]

This was a young adult fiction book (probably intended for older teens as quite psychologically creepy). I would put the publication date as late 80s - mid 90s.

It was set in either the UK or the USA and the main character was a teenage boy at a boys' boarding school. He had fits of depression or anger (possibly headaches too), and would read Watership Down to make himself feel better. As I remember it, his parents are due to visit him but there is some kind of accident (car crash) which the boy may have caused. I think he has a split personality or can cause accidents telepathically, and when he gets into a rage he hurts people but doesn't remember it afterwards. I think there was also a violent incident relating to another boy at his school. It was a very dark story.

I have read the Wikipedia page on references to Watership Down in other books, and this isn't one of them. It may be quite obscure or forgotten by now, but hoping it will ring a bell with someone!

[Kris]

Something Dangerous by Patrick Redmond? Alternate title: The Wishing Game

[Rachel]

Thank you Kris, this looks very plausible - I will check it out and see if it's the book I remember!

[Kate]

Rachel, please remember to let us know if this is the correct book. We always love to know the solutions!

[Railyn]

**Edited to say: I missed the initial comment where the OP said she checked here, but I'm going to leave this post in the thought that perhaps the page was updated between when she first checked and now**


As much as I'm not a fan of Wikipedia, they do usually have nice lists of places something is referenced.

Is it any of these?:

~In Stephen King's novel "The Wastelands" Eddie references "Watership Down" when they discover the bear, Shardik, in the woods, explaining the name reminds him of rabbits but he cannot recall why.
The Waste Lands

~In Stephen King's novel The Stand, protagonist Stu Redman reads Watership Down non-stop for two days.
The Stand

~In the book The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal, Qwilleran tries several times to read Watership Down, but never gets past the first sentence.
The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal

~In the Doug Worgul novel "Thin Blue Smoke", a mentally ill character named Warren regards Richard Adams as a prophet, and often speaks or writes in Lapine.
Thin Blue Smoke

~In the Hillary Jordan novel “When She Woke”, the main characters reference the secret of Cowslip's warren in regards to their situation.
When She Woke

~In the Alexandra Bracken novel The Darkest Minds, a character is shown reading Watership Down.
The Darkest Minds

[Rachel]

I've had a look at The Wishing Game/Something Dangerous on Google books and I don't think it's the one I'm looking for. The book I remember was mostly focused on the main character and I don't remember him having a particular friend. The writing style was also less straightforward and more mysterious/confusing. The action takes place mainly in the main character's head. And I think it was published earlier (mid 1990s?)

Also the Wishing Game has no Watership Down reference! For info, this was not a major plot point, just a detail that sticks in my memory. It's none of the books from Wikipedia.

[Rachel]

bump

[Rachel]

Answered my own question, finally! It is Scarecrows by Robert Westall.