''The Book of Boy'' is a young adult

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

written by

Catherine Gilbert Murdock Catherine Gilbert Murdock is an American author. Early life and education Catherine Gilbert Murdock was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1967. Her father was a chemical engineer, her mother a nurse. Along with her only sibling, novelist El ...

and published in February 2018. It recounts the journey of the eponymous Boy, who accompanies the pilgrim Secundus as they gather

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s associated with Saint Peter. It was named a Newbery Honor book in January 2019.

Plot summary

Boy is an orphan who works as a goatherd on the estate of Sir Jacques. He encounters the pilgrim Secundus in the fields and guides him to the manor, where Secundus convinces the Cook to lend him Boy as his servant on his pilgrimage to the nearest large town, Saint-Peter's-Step. As they leave for their journey, Secundus ties a mysterious bundle to Boy's hunchback and threatens him with death if he should peek inside or run away with it. During their first night together, Secundus reveals his quest to Boy; he is seeking seven relics from the body of Saint Peter: "Rib tooth thumb shin dust skull tomb". Based on that list, their journey will end in Rome, at the Mother of All the Churches. The story is set in the holy year of 1350, while the

Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...

was sweeping through Europe; before the novel begins, the wife and three children of Sir Jacques have succumbed to the plague. As an orphan and deformed with a hunchback, Boy has been bullied all his life and has a deep sense of shame over his otherness, although he is able to take comfort in his strange rapport with animals.

Development

Murdock noted she was influenced by

Susanna Clarke Susanna Mary Clarke (born 1 November 1959) is an English author known for her debut novel ''Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell'' (2004), a Hugo Award-winning alternative history. Clarke began ''Jonathan Strange'' in 1993 and worked on it during her ...

's '' Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell'', developing the dialogue to balance accuracy in historical vocabulary with readability for modern audiences.

Publishing history

* * *

Reception

In a starred review, ''

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 ...

'' called it "a wickedly fun-filled quest that twists and turns with lyrical fire."

Christopher Healy Christopher is the English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or '' Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Christ" or "Anointed", and φέρει� ...

, reviewing for '' The New York Times'', had mixed feelings about "the artistically ambiguous ending" which "gives no explicit answer to the question f whether Boy should hide his true self. ''

The Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony Miller and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietres ...

'' gave the novel a star and in her review, Sarah Ellis wrote that Boy is "a complex and compelling being whose defining quality is goodness." In her review for '' School Library Journal'', Elizabeth Bird also called Boy "the living embodiment of kindness and joy" and drew a contrast to the current state of children's literature: "We have a lot of dark, depressing, necessary books out there. Once, just once, let’s enjoy the one unafraid to let a little light and laughter in." The American Library Association named ''The Book of Boy'' a Newbery Honor Book at its annual conference in January 2019.

References

External links

* "Blog tour" with content from the author describing research and development of the novel: * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Book of Boy, The American young adult novels Historical novels Newbery Honor-winning works 2018 American novels Novels set in the 1350s Greenwillow Books books Children's books set in the 14th century Children's books set in Europe