Willis, J. (2002). The truth or something: a novel. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
ISBN-13: 978-0-8050-7079-8
Plot Summary
World War II is over, but scrappy, nine-year-old Mick is fighting his own fight in working-class England. His mother is taking them to live by the sea with Harry, who Mick is made to believe is his father come back from the war. Mick frequently has nightmares, which often result in his wetting himself. Through a series of events as Mick grows up, he is forced to live alone, with friends, or with different relatives including Nan, his maternal grandmother. He begins to learn the unsettling truths about his family and the little sister he remembers and whom he once believed his mother sold to the “rag-and-bone man.” Then Mick goes to live with his biological father who is kind at first but then does the unspeakable to Mick. Mick’s bloody revenge on his father forces him to run away from home, which is where the novel actually begins with this gripping first line: “I don’t know if I’ve killed my dad or not.”
Critical Evaluation
This novel, which is based on true events, takes place in working class post-war England. It is depressing and gray, and the bleakness of the land and times creates a melancholy mood, which is mirrored in the mood of the adult characters. In the beginning, Mick seems to be a carefree boy as shown through the child-like first person narration. However, as he grows older and is more aware of circumstances, the narration’s tone changes accordingly, even with humor, to represent his adolescent maturity and understanding. Characterization and setting are further enhanced through the dialect: “I realize my feet are cold but my arse is steaming. Wet myself again” (12). Readers unused to British dialect will quickly become acquainted with words like bloke and wellingtons. Readers will be able to connect with Mick’s changing from a young boy to an adolescent and trying to make a world for himself despite an insecure family, constant change and moving, and damaging events. Mick is determined to not be beaten in life, no matter what. The inconclusive ending is a dose of reality to readers; not everything in life is neatly tied up at the end.
Reader’s Annotation
Mick does not know where he fits in in the world. When tragic events happen to him, he is determined to make his place in the world.
Author Information
Jeanne Willis is most known for her award winning children’s books in the UK. Born in St. Albans, Hertz, United Kingdom, on Bonfire Night in 1959 (that’s November 5th for those of us on this side of the pond), Willis always had an active imagination. In fact, her teachers and mother were so worried about her that her mother took her to see a doctor. Her creativity helped her with a career in advertising, which ended with her short stay in a psychiatric ward due to stress. It was a very stressful time in the 1980s. The Truth or Something is based on a friend’s triumphant childhood despite his growing up in a very troubled family.
Jeanne Willis currently lives in London, England, with her husband, son, and daughter. She is happy to give speeches, author talks, and workshops in schools, libraries, and bookstores.
For more information about Jeanne Willis, please visit her website. She has an entertaining biography made up of a picture collage:
Genre
Young Adult
Historical Fiction
Coming of Age
Curriculum Ties
1940’s Post WWII Great Britain
Book Talking Ideas
How do you define family? How does a person’s environment affect him? How did WWII affect England?
Reading Level/ Interest Age
Appropriate for ages 15 and up.
Challenge Issues
Sexual Abuse
Challenge Defense
In defense of a challenge, I would cite these reviews as well as ALA's Strategies and Tips for Dealing with Challenges to Library Materials.
Booklist 06/01/02
Publishers Weekly starred 05/20/02
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 06/01/02
Why did I include this title?
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