The Book of Guilt

In a sinisterly skewed version of England in 1979, thirteen-year-old triplets Vincent, Lawrence and William are the last remaining residents of a New Forest home, part of the government's Sycamore Scheme. Each day, the boys must take medicine to protect themselves from a mysterious illness to which many of their friends have succumbed. Children who survive are allowed to move to the Big House in Margate, a destination of mythical proportions, desired by every Sycamore child. Meanwhile, in Exeter, Nancy lives a secluded life with her parents, who never let her leave the house. She watches Rainbow and Antiques Roadshow and Jim'll Fix It while her father painstakingly constructs a model village that is taking over the entire sitting room. As the government looks to shut down the Sycamore Homes and place their residents into the community, the triplets' lives begin to intersect with Nancy's, culminating in revelations that will rock the children to the core. Gradually surrendering its dark secrets, The Book of Guilt is a spellbinding page-turner from one of our greatest storytellers: a profoundly unnerving and urgent exploration of belonging in a world where some lives are valued less than others.