Bad Influence

by William Sutcliffe

Meet cruel, fun, exciting a bit older than you, and totally in control. Your best friend Ollie likes Carl maybe even more than he likes you. You don't want to lose Ollie, so you tag playing Carl's games, doing what he says, getting into trouble. But how far will Carl go before he stops? And just how bad does he have to get before you say No?

Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Roman, Young Adult

162 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

William Sutcliffe was born in 1971 in London. He is the author of eight novels, New Boy, Are You Experienced?, The Love Hexagon, Bad Influence, Whatever Makes You Happy, The Wall, Concentr8 and We See Everything, which have been translated into twenty-six languages.

The Wall was shortlisted for the 2014 CILIP Carnegie Medal. Are You Experienced? has been reissued on the prestigious Penguin Essentials list.

He has also written a series of books for children: Circus of Thieves and the Raffle of Doom, Circus of Thieves on the Rampage and Circus of Thieves and the Comeback Caper.

He lives in Edinburgh with his wife, three children, two cats and a tortoise.

Reviews

[Ania · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5
To niesamowite jak fikcja może być tak realistyczna. Niesamowita książka, która w bardzo naturalny sposób rzuca światło na dziecięce problemy, bliskie mojemu sercu, pokazując co dzieje się w głowie dziecka, jakie są powody pewnych zachowań, nad czym większość dorosłych raczej rzadko się zastanawia.
0,5 gwiazdki zabieram za tłumaczenie, które w pewnych momentach było... oh well, bardzo niesmaczne.

[Yannick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sad story, written in a fun style from the perspective of a 10 year old.
Reminds me of the bullies in the neighbourhood and how mean children can be.
Happy the big brother came to the rescue. Few parts were too mature for a 10 year old: "There is nothing more dangerous than someone who is fearless".. thinks exactly no 10 year old.

Enjoyed the short read

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ένας από τους μεγαλύτερους φόβους κάθε γονιού είναι, καθώς το παιδί του μεγαλώνει, να μην μπλέξει με τις λάθος εκείνες παρέες που θα τον οδηγήσουν σε συμπεριφορές και πράξεις οι οποίες, όχι μόνο δεν θα είναι αρεστές αλλά, που μπορούν να αποβούν παράλληλα καταστροφικές για το μέλλον του. Οι ενήλικοι όμως το βλέπουμε καθαρά από την δικιά μας μεριά και πραγματικά αναρωτιέμαι, προσπαθούμε ποτέ να θυμηθούμε τους εαυτούς μας ως παιδιά, πως σκεφτόμασταν και με βάσει ποιου συλλογισμού πράτταμε; Βλέποντας ένα παιδί να κάνει κακές παρέες, διερωτόμαστε ποτέ ποια είναι τα κίνητρα που το σπρώχνουν σε αυτή την επιλογή έτσι ώστε να μπορέσουμε να προλάβουμε το πρόβλημα έγκαιρα δίνοντας συμβουλές και λύσεις; Το βιβλίο αυτό του Sutcliffe είναι μια χαρακτηριστική παιδική φωνή που με τον δικό της τρόπο μας οδηγεί μέσα στο θέμα.

Ο Μπεν είναι ένα συνηθισμένο εντεκάχρονο αγόρι που ζει ανάμεσα σε μια συνηθισμένη οικογένεια αποτελούμενη από τους γονείς του και τα δύο μεγαλύτερα αδέρφια του, τα οποία και δεν χάνει ευκαιρία να προκαλεί σε μια προσπάθεια να αναδειχτεί νικητής μέσα από τις όποιες συγκρούσεις. Ο Όλι είναι ο καλύτερός του φίλος και όπως επιβάλλει ο νόμος της φύσης, ακολουθεί τον Μπεν καθότι πιο ηγεμονική φυσιογνωμία. Και εκεί που όλα μοιάζουν να κυλούν φυσιολογικά, στη ζωή του εμφανίζεται ο Καρλ, ένα μυστηριώδες αγόρι το οποίο τόσο εκείνος όσο και εμείς ως αναγνώστες, δεν αργούμε να καταλάβουμε ότι πρόκειται για ένα προβληματικό παιδί. Η συμπεριφορά του Καρλ όχι απλά δεν είναι αυτή που θα έπρεπε για ένα παιδί της ηλικίας του αλλά, φτάνει τα όρια του προκλητικού και ακραίου, καμιά φορά ακόμα και του επικίνδυνου. Και όταν μιλάμε για τέτοιες ηλικίες, το επικίνδυνο είναι πολύ εύκολο να ξεπεράσει τα όρια.

Παρακολουθούμε λοιπόν την εξέλιξη της σχέσης ανάμεσα στα τρία αυτά αγόρια με τον Καρλ ξαφνικά να βρίσκεται στην θέση του αρχηγού, προκαλώντας συνεχώς τον Μπεν έτσι ώστε να κάνει ξεκάθαρο ποια είναι πλέον η νέα του θέση στα πράγματα και τον Όλι να απομακρύνεται από τον Μπεν καθώς ο Καρλ τον κάνει να αισθάνεται πιο σημαντικός και κατά τι κατώτερος σε σχέση με τον μέχρι πρωτινός καλύτερό του φίλο. Και ο Μπεν δεν αντιδρά, όχι τουλάχιστον με το σθένος που θα έπρεπε, αφήνοντας τον εαυτό του έρμαιο στα χέρια του Καρλ και της αλλοπρόσαλλης συμπεριφοράς του. Το θέμα είναι ποια είναι τα κίνητρα που τον σπρώχνουν προς τα εκεί. Μα φυσικά, η επιθυμία να αισθάνεται πως ανήκει κάπου, η ανάγκη να μην χάσει τον καλύτερό του φίλο ενώ παράλληλα, επιθυμεί δια καώς να αποδείξει στον Καρλ πως μπορεί να τον ακολουθήσει σε κάθε παράλογο σχέδιό του και γιατί όχι, ότι μπορεί αν τον ξεπεράσει.

Το μυθιστόρημα του Sutcliffe είναι γρήγορο, έξυπνο, αρκετά χιουμοριστικό στα σημεία όπου τον παίρνει να κάνει χρήση αστεϊσμών και αρκετά αιχμηρό. Μπορεί να μην προκαλεί το σοκ ή το δέος άλλων παρόμοιων ιστοριών όμως έχει κάτι το ιδιαίτερο. Ποιο είναι αυτό; Το γεγονός ότι δεν βλέπει την ιστορία μέσα από τα μάτια ενός ενήλικου αλλά, τολμάει να την αφηγηθεί με την φωνή του ίδιου του παιδιού που έχει βρεθεί μπλεγμένο στην παρούσα κατάσταση, προσπαθώντας να εισχωρήσει στην ψυχολογία και την σκέψη της ηλικίας αυτής, η οποία πολλές φορές αδυνατεί να καταλάβει που αρχίζει και που τελειώνει κάτι, ποια είναι τα όρια και κατά πόσο μπορεί να τα ξεπεράσει με συνέπειες ή όχι. Αν μη τι άλλο, σε προβληματίζει και σε κάνει να σκεφτείς ορισμένα πράγματα, παίρνοντάς τα περισσότερο στα σοβαρά.

Το "Κακές Παρέες" περιγράφει απόλυτα ρεαλιστικά τον διακαή πόθο της νιότης για ηγεμονία και εξουσία μέσα στον μικρόκοσμό της. Μιλάει για την επιβεβαίωση που έχουν τόσο μεγάλη ανάγκη τα παιδιά αλλά και για το που μπορούν να φτάσουν προκειμένου να την αποκτήσουν, ακόμα και αν οι συνέπειες για τα ίδια μπορεί να είναι τραγικές και καταστροφικές. Είναι μια ιστορία με την οποία εύκολα μπορείς να ταυτιστείς γιατί είναι κάτι που βιώνει η κάθε οικογένεια, με το ενήλικα και ανήλικα μέλη της να την αντιμετωπίζουν ο καθένας με τον δικό του τρόπο. Οι εσωτερικές συγκρούσεις του ατόμου, παρουσιάζονται με κωμικό και τραγικό συνάμα τρόπο για να κορυφωθούν σε ένα φινάλε που σχετίζεται απόλυτα με την επιλογή και πως αυτή μπορεί να σε λυτρώσει και να σε σώσει ή με την ίδια ευκολία να σε καταστρέψει. Μπορεί να μην πρόκειται για κάτι ιδιαίτερο ή πρωτότυπο ωστόσο, πρόκειται για μια αληθινή φωνή που νομίζω αξίζει να την ακούσουμε.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't started reading books in Dutch. Good reads will only give me this edition when what I want is 'Bad Influence' which I've just finished and was published by Penguin in 2005. I don't know why it's so hard for them to come up with it.

Anyway. An excellent book, written as if by a 10 year old boy, having a perfectly normal life with his family and friends until Carl comes into it. Carl threatens to disrupt his best-friendship with Olly, and then simply threatens. The story becomes increasingly dark as Ben, the narrator, gets sucked into situations he dislikes but can't seem to escape from. A very clever exploration of a friendship and a warped relationship that spirals out of control.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Um.. hmm.
It was a super quick read. But maybe kind of uneventful? I felt vaguely unsettled the whole time, but spent the whole book waiting for something to happen.
A bit of a non event unfortunately.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I know I like too many books about children being evil!

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't help beginning this review by stating that although this novel is about children that does not make a YA novel I don't mean to suggest that YA shouldn't read it, but then I can't think of any work of literature a YA shouldn't read. YA novels are not reviewed by future Noble Laureates in The Observer. Kazuo Ishiguro (the future Laureate) said of it:

'Dark, witty...brilliantly dramatizes the human craving for approval and strong leadership and the leadership and the lengths will go to satisfy it.'

The novel was also praised by The Guardian, 'Conveys the way you feel aged ten...A clever, very powerful book' while the Daily Express said, 'A must-read if ever there was one'. The novel was also reviewed and praised by The Sunday Times, Esquire, New Statesman, Independent on Sunday and Sunday Express. YA adult novels, even the best, don't attract such a galaxy of reviews.

Any one in the UK of a certain age, and even younger, will have no problem recognising that this novel is inspired by the 1993 James Bulger case. I emphasize 'inspired' because this is not some true crime or roman a clef novel, it isn't even a crime novel. It is not about crime but about just how bad things get before you say no. That isn't only a question for children or YA, that is a question we all have to ourselves, or at least we should, and that is what makes this an exceptionally fine novel for everyone.

I rather think that now (August 2024) that question of taking responsibility for ones actions and not allowing yourself to led is even more relevant.

[Claudia Lady Circumference · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a delicate time, the tail end of childhood the beginning of teenage. Happy to be larking around with your best friend but also being aware that you somehow need to be cool.
Ben and Olly are best friends until they meet Carl; scary, dangerous, unhinged but also quite exciting to hang out with. They are now a trio but Ben isn’t too keen not to be calling the shots any more and Carl clearly has it in for him. In the end though, it’s better to do what Carl says than to risk losing his best mate Olly.
So they go on more and more dangerous dares, will Ben be able to stop before it’s too late?

This is a brilliant portrait of the end of childhood and the emotional life of boys.
Stunningly well written, funny, scary and utterly compelling.

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Najlepsze w tej książce są chyba świetnie wykreowane postaci. Rozmyślania Bena są rozmyślaniami, które mógłby mieć jakiś prawdziwy chłopiec w jego wieku. Olly też jest taki prawdziwy, tak samo jak reszta bohaterów.

Niektóre sceny były tak porażające... Moment gry w karty zrobił na mnie takie wrażenie, a zachowanie Olly'ego, Carla i Bena nie było sztuczne i aż z tego wszystkiego zapomnia��am o oddychaniu. Końcowa scena z Donnym też była niesamowita! Ogólnie to Donny jest chyba moją ulubioną postacią - nie poddał się i walczył o swojego młodszego brata do końca. No i na szczęście udało mu się pomóc Benowi.

Przed chwilą skończyłam i trochę brak mi słów, ale chcę tylko powiedzieć, że podziwiam autora za to jak prawdziwe postacie stworzył.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Покорило то, как автор точно и погружающе передает дурманящие ощущения от дружбы: чувства защищенности, неуязаимости, сопричастности, единения, одобрения, признания, ощущение своего превосходства над другим человеком или восхищения им, ощущение власти или радости, от услужения другому без мысли о последующей ответственности за свои действия и так далее. Отношения с другими людьми это тонкий и сложный эмоциональный микс, который часто определяет наше поведение вплоть до необдуманных и жестоких поступков.

[Rina Michelle Kawamoto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark and twisty.

Retelling of falling into bad company in a series of short excerpts, short stories if you will. To introduce Carl, that wretched evil monster. I liked that the monstrosity was not explicit; but rather, implied.

At the end, you get the sense that it was quite possibly a retelling in a safe space, perhaps therapy. That was a nice revelation, and ending for Ben.

[TravelsReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a huge build-up, then it ends quite abruptly, but I found it quite atmospheric, easy to read, and absorbing. The things a person will do to have friends and something interesting to do: it rings true!

[sally davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant story about how foul kids can be to each other, and to the uncomprehending adults around them. Super-short (200 pages-ish) told from the perspective of a ten year old boy who just wants to fit in, and how difficult that simple desire can be.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peer group pressure and the need to belong are strong motivators.

[Isabelle Siccard · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ik heb het niet uitgelezen, het kon mij niet boeien.

[Heidi Willems · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining read but to me not much more than that.

[Isaura Lootens · Rating 2 out of 5]

was wel kinda heftig boek met die kettingzaag enzo, moest voor engels, nu ook geen toptop maar wel leuk zeker dont remember much as usual

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW COMING UP.

[hona6 · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Fee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpectedly chilling.

[Emily Blunden · Rating 3 out of 5]

A painful and powerful read that captures the way children can form destructive relationships and end up on paths beyond their control. Suitable for age 14+?

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was looking for an audiobook to listen to on a long car journey and selected this one, largely because it was good value for money, and I did not have time to search longer. This has to count as one of my most successful impulse buys ever. The story was first rate, and the narration on the audio book was just right for it too.

First the book (as this review should show up for paper versions too).

Ben and Olly are two typical 10 year old boys. Ben is the book's narrator, and the way the author captures the 10 year old voice is just perfect. I found myself grinning at descriptions, and frequently thrust back into my own childhood, remembering exactly how it felt to be 10 years old. It reminded me of Tom Kelly's excellent "Finn's Going"/"All About Finn" in the way it evoked that sense of childhood so perfectly. The setting is north London, in (based on the mention of drainpipe trousers) the mid to late 1970s. The actual year is never actually mentioned and is, in fact, immaterial to this timeless story of the joys and perils of childhood.

The boy's friendship comes under strain though with the arrival of a new boy in the neighbourhood. Carl is a little older than Ben and Olly, but not much. But after threatening Ben's father with a chainsaw, Ben's opinion that he is a nutter is nicely understated. But as so often happens in real life, Carl somehow starts to muscle in on the friendship of Ben and Olly, and the consequences are painful and menacing, leaving the reader worried about where this will all end.

The comic elements nicely set off the darker themes of the book. Ultimately it is a wonderful study of the perils of peer pressure, and the emotional attachments of children and young people. It rang so very true. Fortunately things rarely go quite as far as in this story, but we know that they can, and sometimes have gone this way. The book leaves the reader with plenty to ponder.

And so the audio narration. The audio book uses a female voice for the narration, but the narrator does her voices very well indeed, and you could almost think it was Ben's voice that you are hearing. This was a professionally put together audio book, so no problems with it, and I think the narrator was well chosen.

Whether you read this on paper, ebook or audio, you will not regret it. Highly recommended.

[Ian Mapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short (165 page) novel could well be contender for the year.

Excellently written, with humour and suspense that almost makes you dread turning the page when the excitement reaches maximum tension.

Book starts with an excellent piece of foreshadowing. Its a confessional and then the remainder of the book reveals how the crimes that it says you know off (yet to be revealed) came about.

Ben is a 10 year old with a best mate, Olly. One day Olly can't come out to play and there is a new kid called Carl in the street. They start playing and make friends.

There is an early incident with a chainsaw that means that Karl doesnt want to play with him again but Olly soon makes friends. This is where the book excels as the peer pressure of Ben not being able to walk away from his old friend kicks in, and a battle for leadership begins.

This leadership battle starts with the mundane (thieving, smoking and bunking off school) but you can see it exalating to Karl getting hold of a knife and setting out on a "mission" against his fathers new lover.

This is truely unforgettable - you know that Ben is racing to his doom but he has a guardian angel in the form of his older brother who comes to stop ben going with Karl on the train. You can't turn the pages quick enough here, as you expect his brother to be attacked but what happens is never truely revealed but something involving the knife and karl and olly certainly did happen.

Through in lots of 80s references and the well captured pressures of growing up and wanting to fit in and you have an excellent book.

Look at these for lines;


On Karls Alcoholic mother....

"Her face is made up for a party that looks as though it happened days ago. She is wearing black leggings and a baggy white t shirt that says "RELAX" on it in huge letters..... she's dressed like she's going out from the neck up and staying in from the neck down".

On peer rejection....

"I always thought you were where you were. I thought things stayed put. Now I know differently. The world's slippery. All it takes is one thing to shift and everything can slide away."

Absolutely Superb writing and a surprising source on Liztmania.

[Lauren Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are the children up to? Good lord. This brought back a number of unpleasant memories about the sort of cruelty and violence children can be capable of, as well as the terrible hunger to belong, at any costs.

Ten-year-old Ben is lonely, with his best friend Olly away for a while. He meets Carl -- older, bigger, tougher, a bit odd, and decidedly dangerous. An early scene involving a chain saw is truly terrifying, although no blood is spilled, which is a testament to the power of Sutcliffe's writing.

When Olly returns and makes friends with Carl, things begin to unravel. Violence escalates, as does the tone of menace, which is so beautifully balanced with humor (not to mention witty little drawings). The power struggle of children is agonizingly accurate and very dark indeed.

The climax of the book is truly disturbing, even if the denouement lacked a slight edge, for me. A tiny bit more insight at the end-- applied with the same masterfully indirect brush Sutcliffe uses in the rest of the book -- would have tipped it over to five stars. A quibble, though. Recommended.

[Emma Radford · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Bad Influence) A short but devastatingly powerful novel about peer pressure and the danger of conformity. This is a compulsive page-turner that has you literally holding your breath. Told authentically by a ten year old boy, there are moments of tenderness, humour and vulnerable innocence. It is so easy to empathise with how Ben is feeling, which soon creates a sick and twisted feeling in your gut at the social pressures that, particularly, children are placed under; it forces you to acknowledge the fatal potential of 'snap decisions' made in the desperate attempt to be liked an included. Haunting and fear-inducing, this is a must-read for all! (A great partner text to illuminate and read alongside Lord of the Flies).

[Nick Davies · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good - though I'd read a couple of William Sutcliffe books before (which were witty modern 'bloke-lit' books about men and relationships) this was a different kettle of fish. The subject matter reminded me of books like 'Boy A' and 'We Need To Talk About Kevin', and the writing style (from the POV of a child) was a little like 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.' Despite the sense of dread pervading the whole thing, this quickly become hard to put down and left me thrilled.

[Arya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first thought this would be a light, happy read because most of the main characters were only ten years old and I thought it would be really cute. But no. It was haunting. And beautiful. And haunting. And now I'm having a serious book hangover and I simply can't concentrate while reading anything else.
Don't judge a book by its cover. And here, it really applies. This isn't what it seems like. Just read it.

[Yna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sutcliffe brings you to how a ten year old views the world. He writes in such a way that brings out the adventure in everyday activities. Wonderfully comedic, at the same time troubling. Awfully disturbing once the last pages have been turned. The scary part of this fictional novel is that its innocence gets turned into something horrifyingly capable in the non-fiction.

[Harald · Rating 5 out of 5]

The were moments where the book made me relive some of the emotions and fears of my youngers self. I was amazed by how Sutcliffe was able to the create the world of a kid. Besides that, the story itself is gripping and smartly crafted.

[Jasmine Richards · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a scene with a deck card that will always haunt me...