One day, joshua stumbles across a tunnel that leads underneath the wall. Compassion and moral insight meet in this intelligent west bank adventure, writes kamila shamsie. I would recommend this novel for both young readers and adults too, as there are many layers to the story and the wide range of themes within. The premise, drawn from an acclaimed 1963 novel by marlen haushofer, will inevitably call to mind stephen kings under the dome, but that comparison wont get you very far in explaining what the wall is about. N o one who has loved childrens stories of portals into strange worlds could resist the beginning of william sutcliffe s startling and captivating new. William sutcliffe sets his book against a dramatic backdrop which allows him to explore themes of conflict and trust, displacement and personal freedom.
On the one hand, there are many things that william sutcliffe does just righ its really an analysis of the israelipalestinian conflict, the west bank in particular, thinly disguised as fiction. Kings book and the tv miniseries based on it are about how a community interacts in isolation when catastrophe strikes, and the normal rules and systems are stripped away. Horror and outrage are the jet fuel that often get william sutcliffe started on a project. He lives with his mother and stepfather in amarias, an isolated town on top of a hill, where all the houses are brand new. No one who has loved childrens stories of portals into strange worlds could resist the beginning of william sutcliffes startling and captivating. A suspenseful comingofage novel about other realms buried in the known world. Joshua lives with his mother and stepfather in amarias, an isolated town. Amarias is surrounded by a high wall, guarded by soldiers, which can only be crossed through a heavily fortified checkpoint. William sutcliffe is the author of five adult novels, including the international bestseller, are you experienced.
William sutcliffe has based his story a fictional town, a fictional boy, a fictional series of events on the real life, present day happenings in the west bank. Writing a novel that depicts an oppressed society when you are not a member of that society is a risky undertaking in my estimation. Although it is never explicitly written in the wall, joshua is jewish, an israeli, those on the other side of the wall, palestinian. Joshua has been taught that the wall is the only thing keeping his people safe from a brutal and unforgiving enemy. William sutcliffe, best known for his satirical take on gap year travel, are you experienced. The abstract setting of a divided city is never defined in william sutcliffes first book for children, but we can safely assume the situation to be inspired by conflicts. This paper examines one key theme of modern spatial economics relating to city. Joshua is a troubled boy who lives with his mother and stepfather in a divided city, where a wall and soldiers separate two communities, and the rubblestrewn. Joshua is a young boy on one side of the wall who through a series of fortunate or unfortunate events comes into contact with and befriends a family from the other side.
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