The Death House
Sarah Pinborough
Titan Books, Sep 1 2015, $14.95
ISBN: 9781783298037
Anyone under the age of eighteen who tests
positive is removed to prevent a pandemic among the young. Like most of his mates, Toby welcomes the
physical because he gets a day off; but is unprepared when authorities remove
him from his family and banned from corresponding with them.
Toby’s new home is on a remote island where he
meets other exiled defectives like Louis and Will in Dorm 4 of “Death House”. The students discuss what they heard about
the disease; each new comment frightens everyone in the room even the oldest
and top dog Toby; though unlike his classmates he hides his fears. They constantly “inspect” one another for any
symptom. Besides the 24/7 dread of the
disease and protecting the weak from Jake the bully, depressed Toby struggles
with tedium as the norm; emphasized by silent nurses led by the martinet
Matron; teachers who demonstrate they do not care; and performing chores that
mostly is busy work. The arrival of
jovial Clara lifts resentful Toby’s spirit.
This is a tremendous character study; summed up
brilliantly by Toby as a “Lord of the Flies” community worsened by insensible
adults allegedly monitoring the children.
The key is that every child is portrayed uniquely; with each using
different defense mechanisms to cope.
The lack of disease detail including understanding the need for Typhoid
Mary isolation and the odd adult behavior strengthen the storyline as the
audience sees the impact of how scared the children are of this
unknown contagion in which death allegedly lurks around every corner, under
beds and in closets.
Harriet Klausner
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