''Child 44'' (published in 2008) is a
thriller novel by British writer
Tom Rob Smith
Tom Rob Smith (born February 19, 1979) is an English author, screenwriter and producer.
Personal life and education
The son of Swedish mother Barbro and English father Ron, both antiques dealers, Smith was born and raised at Norbury, South Lo ...
. This is the first novel in a trilogy featuring former
MGB Agent Leo Demidov, who investigates a series of gruesome child murders in
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...
's
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...
.
Themes
This novel, the first in a trilogy, takes inspiration from the crimes of
Andrei Chikatilo
Andrei Romanovich Chikatilo (russian: Андре́й Рома́нович Чикати́ло, translit=Andréy Románovich Chikatílo; uk, Андрій Романович Чикатило, translit=Andriy Romanovych Chykatylo; 16 October 1936 ...
, also known as the Rostov Ripper, the Butcher of Rostov, and the Red Ripper. Chikatilo was convicted of and executed for committing 52 murders in the Soviet Union, though his crimes occurred after the Stalin era. In addition to highlighting the problem of Soviet-era criminality in a state where "there is no crime", the novel explores the paranoia of the age, the education system, the secret police apparatus,
orphanage
An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
s,
homosexuality in the USSR, and
mental hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociati ...
s.
The second and third books in the trilogy, titled ''
The Secret Speech'' (April 2009) and ''
Agent 6'' (July 2011), respectively, also feature the protagonist Leo Demidov and his wife, Raisa.
Awards
''Child 44'' has been translated into 36 languages. Additionally, it was nominated for 17 international awards and won seven.
In 2008, it was named on the long list for the
Man Booker Prize
The Booker Prize, formerly known as the Booker Prize for Fiction (1969–2001) and the Man Booker Prize (2002–2019), is a literary prize awarded each year for the best novel written in English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland. ...
, nominated for the
2008 Costa First Novel Award (former Whitbread), and received the
CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award for best thriller of the year from the
Crime Writers' Association
The Crime Writers' Association (CWA) is a specialist authors’ organisation in the United Kingdom, most notable for its Dagger awards for the best crime writing of the year, and the Diamond Dagger awarded to an author for lifetime achievement. T ...
. It was also shortlisted for the
Desmond Elliott Prize
The Desmond Elliott Prize is an annual award for the best debut novel written in English and published in the UK. The winning novel can be from any genre of fiction and must exhibit depth and breadth with a compelling narrative. The winner receiv ...
for a first novel in 2008, and Smith was awarded the 2008
Galaxy Book Award for Best New Writer.
In July 2009, he won the
Waverton Good Read Award
The Waverton Good Read Award was founded in 2003 by villagers in Waverton, Cheshire, Waverton, Chester, England, and is based on ''Le Prix de la Cadière d'Azur'', a literary prize awarded by a Provence, Provençal village. Adult debut novels writ ...
for first novel and the
Galaxy Book Award for Best Newcomer.
In January 2011,
Richard Madeley and Judy Finnegan listed it in their Book Club 100 Books of the Decade.
Reception
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' called ''Child 44'' a "tightly woven", "ingeniously plotted", "high-voltage story". ''
The Sunday Telegraph
''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings.
It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...
'' praised it as a "memorable debut": "the atmosphere of paranoia and paralysing fear is brilliantly portrayed and unremittingly grim". ''
Kirkus Reviews
''Kirkus Reviews'' (or ''Kirkus Media'') is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus (1893–1980). The magazine is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fic ...
'' gave it a starred review, calling it "smashing"; "nerve-wracking pace and atmosphere camouflage wild coincidences". In an ''
Observer
An observer is one who engages in observation or in watching an experiment.
Observer may also refer to:
Computer science and information theory
* In information theory, any system which receives information from an object
* State observer in co ...
'' review, Peter Guttridge praised it as a "thrilling, intense piece of fiction".
Another ''New York Times'' reviewer called it "an adequate police procedural", and a review of the paperback edition in ''The Guardian'' said "the story is exciting, but the characters and dialogue are underdeveloped, and the prose studiously bland". This view was mirrored by a further review for ''The Guardian'', by Angus Macqueen, who stated that while "this is a compelling detective story", "the desire for the plot to encompass every element of Soviet history eventually overrides any sense of artistic seriousness". Macqueen did state that the novel "remains a real achievement" and that it delivers "all the pleasures of a brilliant airport read".
Film adaptation
In April 2007, it was announced that
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...
had optioned the
film
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
rights.
Fox 2000 bought the project, and in 2009, a film based on the novel was announced, with Scott originally attached as director and producer. Ultimately the film ''Child 44'' (2015) was produced by Scott and
Michael Costigan and directed by
Daniel Espinosa
Jorge Daniel Espinosa (born 23 March 1977) is a Swedish film director from Trångsund, Stockholm, of Chilean origin.
Early life
He attended the National Film School of Denmark and graduated in 2001.
Career
His third feature film, '' Easy Mone ...
. ''Child 44'' stars
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman (born 21 March 1958) is an English actor and filmmaker. Known for his versatility and intense acting style, he has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and three British Academy Fi ...
,
Tom Hardy,
Noomi Rapace
Noomi Rapace (; ; born 28 December 1979) is a Swedish actress.Karen Olsson, ''The New York Times Magazine'', 27 May 2012, p. 26. She achieved international fame with her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish film adaptations of the ''Mil ...
,
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in ''The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in ''A ...
, and
Joel Kinnaman
Charles Joel Nordström Kinnaman (; born 25 November 1979) is a Swedish-American actor and model who first gained recognition for his roles in the Swedish film '' Easy Money'' and the ''Johan Falk'' crime series. Kinnaman is known international ...
.
See also
*
''Gorky Park'', a novel featuring the fictional detective
Arkady Renko
Arkady Renko ( Russian: Аркадий Ренко) is a fictional detective who is the central character of nine novels by the American writer Martin Cruz Smith.O'Brien, Timothy L. ''The New York Times'' (August 6, 2007)Martin Cruz Smith's Arkad ...
References
{{Reflist, 30em
Fiction set in 1933
Fiction set in 1953
2008 British novels
Barry Award-winning works
British novels adapted into films
British thriller novels
Intelligence agencies in fiction
Novels about child abuse
Novels about serial killers
Novels set in Moscow
Novels set in the Soviet Union
Novels set in the Stalin era
Child abduction in fiction
Simon & Schuster books