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A review by ellielabbett
Coram Boy by Jamila Gavin
4.0
Deeply dark and harrowing, I was completely in awe of this intricately woven story which had the power to engross, repulse and enchant me, all at the same time.
Set in the eighteenth century, the fragility of family reputation collides with cruelty and greed, as one man goes to any length to take advantage of the hysteria surrounding illegitimately born children. Gavin really highlights the merciless dictatorship that is born from societal expectations, and the losses that come as a result are insurmountable. Control is torn away, futures are sealed by luck of birth and a singular choice has the lower to destroy livelihoods. Such constructs would be very interesting to explore with children, and are ones that I have not seen portrayed to such a powerful and catastrophic degree as in this text.
This was a dense, and, at times, disturbing read, and one that needs to be slowly and careful unpicked so as not to become disorientated by the plot. Sharing this with a primary school class should be taken with caution. Understandably, the challenging themes may sway some teachers away from using this story. However, Gavin’s writing is genuinely so rich and emotive, and offers a lot of prospects that I think it could really enrich the learning of a small group of able and mature year six children.
Set in the eighteenth century, the fragility of family reputation collides with cruelty and greed, as one man goes to any length to take advantage of the hysteria surrounding illegitimately born children. Gavin really highlights the merciless dictatorship that is born from societal expectations, and the losses that come as a result are insurmountable. Control is torn away, futures are sealed by luck of birth and a singular choice has the lower to destroy livelihoods. Such constructs would be very interesting to explore with children, and are ones that I have not seen portrayed to such a powerful and catastrophic degree as in this text.
This was a dense, and, at times, disturbing read, and one that needs to be slowly and careful unpicked so as not to become disorientated by the plot. Sharing this with a primary school class should be taken with caution. Understandably, the challenging themes may sway some teachers away from using this story. However, Gavin’s writing is genuinely so rich and emotive, and offers a lot of prospects that I think it could really enrich the learning of a small group of able and mature year six children.