The Book of Guilt, Catherine Chidgey
The cover of Catherine Chidgey’s latest novel immediately evokes unease and curiosity, even before you begin reading. Three identical boys stand side by side in their swim shorts, each wearing a different coordinating color, grinning from ear to ear. Who are they?
Vincent (yellow), William (red), and Lawrence (green) are always dressed in these colors so that Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon, and Mother Night can tell them apart. The triplets are the last remaining residents of a New Forest home, part of a now-defunct government scheme. The year is 1979 in an alternate England. All the boys want to do is to visit Margate, to go to Dreamland, and to live in the Big House. Why? We don’t know—only that Mother Morning, Mother Afternoon, and Mother Night watch over them with unsettling diligence. They record their dreams and nightmares in The Book of Dreams, teach them lessons from The Book of Knowledge, and document any of their misbehavior in The Book of Guilt. However, the government has decided to shut down their home and the scheme that created it, forcing the triplets to start questioning everything. Why are they here? And what happens next?
Catherine Chidgey’s The Book of Guilt is destined to be a modern classic, drawing inevitable comparisons to Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. This comparison is simply a testament to how masterfully Chidgey constructs an emotional, slow-burning mystery. From the very first page, something feels off in the home Vincent, William, and Lawrence share with their three mothers. A creeping sense of unease propels the reader forward, as the novel constantly teeters on the edge of revelation—only to pull the rug out from under you just as you think you understand. The underlying paranoia of the world in which Chidgey has created is stifling, yet intriguing. Chidgey keeps you guessing, continually dropping pieces of information that hint at what might be happening while leaving behind just enough crumbs to keep you questioning everything. She has crafted a masterclass in plot, characterization, and suspense, creating a reading experience unlike anything else.
Beyond the triplets, we meet the Minister of Loneliness, a government official tasked with easing their transition as their home is shut down. There’s also Nancy, a girl who hides in her parents’ closet and is forbidden from going outside. How do their lives intersect with the boys? That question lingers, compelling the reader to keep turning the pages. But The Book of Guilt is more than just Vincent, William, and Lawrence’s story; it’s a meditation on what it means to be human—on memory, grief, and the ways people cope with loss, even when their choices seem inexplicable to others. It’s a novel that continually asks the reader, what would you do? How would you feel?
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