What do you think?
Rate this book
The Wall
Joshua lives with his mother and step-father in Amarias, an isolated town, where all the houses are brand new. Amarias is surrounded by a high wall, guarded by soldiers, which can only be crossed through a heavily fortified checkpoint. Joshua has been taught that the Wall is the only thing keeping his people safe from a brutal and unforgiving enemy. One day, Joshua stumbles across a tunnel that leads underneath the Wall. The chance to catch a glimpse of life on the other side of The Wall is too tempting to resist. He's heard plenty of stories about the other side, but nothing has prepared him for what he finds . . . Set in a tense reality closely mirroring Israel's West bank, this deeply affecting parable of a boy who undertakes a short journey to another world lingers long after completion.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2013
71 people are currently reading
1343 people want to read
About the author
William Sutcliffe
48 books108 followersWilliam 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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews
December 2, 2013
Review:
I must apologize in advance for the tear drops splattered across this review. I tried to contain them but they just kept coming. The Wall is one of the most hauntingly beautiful books I've read in many, many years. While The Wall is set in a fictional location its plot and what it represents is very real.
Joshua is such a great, moral character. He tries so hard to do what is right knowing what it would cost him and those he loves if found out. Joshua is a true force for good in a world that sometimes is anything but. When he finds himself over The Wall I could feel his wonderment and sorrow at the disparity in the lives of the people living in its shadow unfortunate to be on "wrong" side.
Leia is a girl living on the wrong side of The Wall. When she meets Joshua she does the unthinkable and shelters him in her house until the threat passes. What starts out as a meeting of chance blossoms into so much more. I fell in love with this little girl from the wrong side of the tracks. We don't get to see much of her but when we do the Author makes it count. How this girl with so few lines could make me feel so much emotion at her scenes truly is a credit to the great writing from the Author.
Overall, I loved The Wall with its beautiful writing, sympathetic characters and realistic plot. In fact, I think this book should be required reading for middle school children. It would do them good to read about the west bank more and the struggles those people go through each and every day. I guess what I'm trying to say is I highly recommend picking this one up, recommend it be stocked in your local library and share it with friends. Yes, it was that good. In the end, I will be rating The Wall by William Sutcliffe ★★★★★.
I must apologize in advance for the tear drops splattered across this review. I tried to contain them but they just kept coming. The Wall is one of the most hauntingly beautiful books I've read in many, many years. While The Wall is set in a fictional location its plot and what it represents is very real.
Joshua is such a great, moral character. He tries so hard to do what is right knowing what it would cost him and those he loves if found out. Joshua is a true force for good in a world that sometimes is anything but. When he finds himself over The Wall I could feel his wonderment and sorrow at the disparity in the lives of the people living in its shadow unfortunate to be on "wrong" side.
Leia is a girl living on the wrong side of The Wall. When she meets Joshua she does the unthinkable and shelters him in her house until the threat passes. What starts out as a meeting of chance blossoms into so much more. I fell in love with this little girl from the wrong side of the tracks. We don't get to see much of her but when we do the Author makes it count. How this girl with so few lines could make me feel so much emotion at her scenes truly is a credit to the great writing from the Author.
Overall, I loved The Wall with its beautiful writing, sympathetic characters and realistic plot. In fact, I think this book should be required reading for middle school children. It would do them good to read about the west bank more and the struggles those people go through each and every day. I guess what I'm trying to say is I highly recommend picking this one up, recommend it be stocked in your local library and share it with friends. Yes, it was that good. In the end, I will be rating The Wall by William Sutcliffe ★★★★★.
October 17, 2013
Here is the review I published a while ago. (I reserve 5 stars for a select few books in my life; so a 4-star rating is truly a high rating from me)
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/the...
Writing a novel that depicts an oppressed society when you are not a member of that society is a risky undertaking in my estimation. When it comes to the Palestinian narrative, the task is even more sensitive, as Western audiences have mostly been exposed to reductive stories, written by non-Palestinians.
It is not surprising then, that a Palestinian might have reason for pause when confronted with a novel that reflects life under Israeli occupation, written by a British Jewish author.
Right or wrong, the author’s background is relevant to me in such circumstances. So I admit that I picked up Sutcliffe’s latest novel, The Wall (Bloomsbury, 2013), holding my breath, because a people’s narrative, their truth, their memories, and their very real pain, is not to be taken lightly in literature.
Sutcliffe clearly understood this, and he created what I believe is the best work of fiction on Palestine written by a non-Palestinian. The Wall is many things – a coming of age story, a fast-paced, captivating novel. Most importantly, it is a fresh and intriguing look at the most intractable conflict of our time, written with suspense and cultural insight.
The story opens when Joshua’s ball lands in a fenced construction zone. When he climbs over to retrieve it, he finds a destroyed home unlike anything he had ever seen in Amarias, the clean, manicured place where he lives. The things of living still inhabit the house, like “a telephone with no receiver, trailing a wire that snakes away as if it is still expecting call”. Joshua is immobilized by a feeling he cannot understand, “something to do with the obvious suddenness with which this place was transformed from a home into a heap of junk.”
There, Joshua discovers a tunnel that runs under the separation wall to the forbidden side, where the enemies live. Compelled by curiosity and a sense of adventure, Joshua crawls through, and the prose carries the reader in Joshua’s heart as he navigates through fear in the dark dank underground. What Joshua finds at the other end of the tunnel unhinges everything he had been taught to believe and he emerges with eyes that see clearly the surreal way in which his world had been manufactured. “..not one thing I can see feels like it is mine,” he says. “A man speaks, and it’s Liev – the man who pretends to be my father, sitting at the table that pretends to be a dinning table in this house that pretends to be my house.”
Sutcliffe tells us that Amarias, the fictional town where Joshua lives, is based on the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. But the words “Israel” and “Palestine” are never used, allowing for a weightless narrative unencumbered by preconceptions.
I thought the superficially apolitical approach to a deeply political space was effective, reminding me of Orwell’s Animal Farm. It has the ability to speak to readers of a wide range of ages, from young teens to senior adults, with layers of meaning revealed in accordance with the reader’s background. Further, and importantly, there is an authenticity to the narrative that speaks to the author’s insight and ability for true empathy.
The most wonderful thing about this novel, however, is the way it keeps the reader teetering on the edge of Joshua’s innocence, in the place where fundamental choices about an individual’s life path are made. We root for Joshua to follow his heart at the same time we fear for him to do so. The brilliance of The Wall is also in the way it allows the reader seamless and natural access to a great unfolding international drama. It does so through the eyes of a boy enchanted with a young girl on the other side of a wall that splits the world; and through his promise to an old farmer to heal a parched patch of earth with dying olive trees.
The tenderness of this novel is matched only by the author’s integrity, as Sutcliffe stipulated in his book contract that a significant percent of his royalties go to the world and children whose lives he wrote about. Playgrounds for Palestine, a Palestinian children’s NGO that I founded has received (and will continue to receive) 15% of the author’s royalties for The Wall. It should be noted that Playgrounds for Palestine is an all-volunteer labor of love organization that does not pay compensation to any staff or board members.
I highly recommend this novel, for young and old alike. It’s a fast read that grips the reader’s attention from the beginning, and long after you’ve read the last pages, you will be thinking of Joshua’s life, peeling back the layers, and finding deeper meaning.
http://www.palestinechronicle.com/the...
Writing a novel that depicts an oppressed society when you are not a member of that society is a risky undertaking in my estimation. When it comes to the Palestinian narrative, the task is even more sensitive, as Western audiences have mostly been exposed to reductive stories, written by non-Palestinians.
It is not surprising then, that a Palestinian might have reason for pause when confronted with a novel that reflects life under Israeli occupation, written by a British Jewish author.
Right or wrong, the author’s background is relevant to me in such circumstances. So I admit that I picked up Sutcliffe’s latest novel, The Wall (Bloomsbury, 2013), holding my breath, because a people’s narrative, their truth, their memories, and their very real pain, is not to be taken lightly in literature.
Sutcliffe clearly understood this, and he created what I believe is the best work of fiction on Palestine written by a non-Palestinian. The Wall is many things – a coming of age story, a fast-paced, captivating novel. Most importantly, it is a fresh and intriguing look at the most intractable conflict of our time, written with suspense and cultural insight.
The story opens when Joshua’s ball lands in a fenced construction zone. When he climbs over to retrieve it, he finds a destroyed home unlike anything he had ever seen in Amarias, the clean, manicured place where he lives. The things of living still inhabit the house, like “a telephone with no receiver, trailing a wire that snakes away as if it is still expecting call”. Joshua is immobilized by a feeling he cannot understand, “something to do with the obvious suddenness with which this place was transformed from a home into a heap of junk.”
There, Joshua discovers a tunnel that runs under the separation wall to the forbidden side, where the enemies live. Compelled by curiosity and a sense of adventure, Joshua crawls through, and the prose carries the reader in Joshua’s heart as he navigates through fear in the dark dank underground. What Joshua finds at the other end of the tunnel unhinges everything he had been taught to believe and he emerges with eyes that see clearly the surreal way in which his world had been manufactured. “..not one thing I can see feels like it is mine,” he says. “A man speaks, and it’s Liev – the man who pretends to be my father, sitting at the table that pretends to be a dinning table in this house that pretends to be my house.”
Sutcliffe tells us that Amarias, the fictional town where Joshua lives, is based on the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. But the words “Israel” and “Palestine” are never used, allowing for a weightless narrative unencumbered by preconceptions.
I thought the superficially apolitical approach to a deeply political space was effective, reminding me of Orwell’s Animal Farm. It has the ability to speak to readers of a wide range of ages, from young teens to senior adults, with layers of meaning revealed in accordance with the reader’s background. Further, and importantly, there is an authenticity to the narrative that speaks to the author’s insight and ability for true empathy.
The most wonderful thing about this novel, however, is the way it keeps the reader teetering on the edge of Joshua’s innocence, in the place where fundamental choices about an individual’s life path are made. We root for Joshua to follow his heart at the same time we fear for him to do so. The brilliance of The Wall is also in the way it allows the reader seamless and natural access to a great unfolding international drama. It does so through the eyes of a boy enchanted with a young girl on the other side of a wall that splits the world; and through his promise to an old farmer to heal a parched patch of earth with dying olive trees.
The tenderness of this novel is matched only by the author’s integrity, as Sutcliffe stipulated in his book contract that a significant percent of his royalties go to the world and children whose lives he wrote about. Playgrounds for Palestine, a Palestinian children’s NGO that I founded has received (and will continue to receive) 15% of the author’s royalties for The Wall. It should be noted that Playgrounds for Palestine is an all-volunteer labor of love organization that does not pay compensation to any staff or board members.
I highly recommend this novel, for young and old alike. It’s a fast read that grips the reader’s attention from the beginning, and long after you’ve read the last pages, you will be thinking of Joshua’s life, peeling back the layers, and finding deeper meaning.
January 27, 2022
The town of Amarias is the place where 13 year old Joshua has grown up. He lives with his mother & stepfather & leads an ordinary life. However, the town is divided by the Wall & when Joshua discovers a tunnel that leads to the other side his life takes on a dramatic change.
William Sutcliffe's novel is told in a simple, straightforward style. He builds the characters & story convincingly & creates drama & tension from the simplist things.
I bought this book while browsing in the Book Stop bookshop while on avisit to the town of Tavistock. Although I buy a lot of new & secondhand books online it is such a pleasure to visit a bookshop & pick up a book by an author I've never heard of before. It's the simple things in life that bring so much joy.
William Sutcliffe's novel is told in a simple, straightforward style. He builds the characters & story convincingly & creates drama & tension from the simplist things.
I bought this book while browsing in the Book Stop bookshop while on avisit to the town of Tavistock. Although I buy a lot of new & secondhand books online it is such a pleasure to visit a bookshop & pick up a book by an author I've never heard of before. It's the simple things in life that bring so much joy.
August 12, 2013
I hesitated over the rating for this book, 4 or 5 stars. In the end I went for 5 despite - or because of - its flaws. The situation portrayed is not clear cut, there are no easy answers and no one escapes undamaged by the events in it. I don't agree with one of the other reviewers that the portrayal is one sided; I think the author does a good job of showing that fear on both sides and a failure to see the "enemy" as fellow humans is at the core of the entrenched positions which form the framework of the book. He doesn't go into the detailed background of the conflict, or the personal involvement of the characters in it (specifically Liev) but I think that was a wise decision to avoid getting bogged down in a quasi-factual description, which could have weakened the book's power. Time and again it seemed that the story gave the author an opportunity to provide a neat ending, but he shows great integrity in avoiding that temptation, and as a result the book is more truthful and more challenging. I'm disappointed that it didn't make the short list for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and hope that it will get the recognition it deserves elsewhere.
May 30, 2013
In the beginning of this novel, you think you are in a dystopian world with the forbidding Wall and the tunnel which snakes underneath it to the other side into a very unfamiliar world. A tense and gripping read, you soon realise that the setting is a contemporary dystopia - it mirrors what is played out daily in the West Bank. Although never mentioned specifically, the adult reader comes to understand that Joshua is an Israeli and the people on the other side are Palestinian.
Sutcliffe has written a powerful crossover novel, where YA readers can appreciate it as a boy's adventure story, and adults as a story of a young boy on the West Bank trying to make sense of the world in which he lives - a world divided by The Wall.
The ending is moving and inspiring - there are no easy answers and herein lies the lesson of this modern day fable.
Highly recommended for both YA and Adult readers.
Sutcliffe has written a powerful crossover novel, where YA readers can appreciate it as a boy's adventure story, and adults as a story of a young boy on the West Bank trying to make sense of the world in which he lives - a world divided by The Wall.
The ending is moving and inspiring - there are no easy answers and herein lies the lesson of this modern day fable.
Highly recommended for both YA and Adult readers.
November 23, 2017
Ein tolles Jugendbuch über einen Konflikt, den es in unserer Welt auch gibt. Ich bin Joshua sehr gern gefolgt. Von diesem Autor werde ich noch mehr lesen :)
January 24, 2016
Joshua's city is surrounded by a wall and military checkpoints. It is believed that those who live on the opposite side of the wall are dangerous, terrorists. When Joshua's soccer ball is accidentally kicked into a building site he climbs over the wall to retrieve it and discovers a tunnel. This raises his curiosity and soon he is crawling through the tunnel into another world. Written in five parts, Joshua returns to the forbidden side of the wall after a girl there helps him escape from a gang of boys. In each part of the story a more serious outcome results from visits to the other side. Joshua is a compassionate character and deals with a lot of abuse from his stepfather. His bravery and determination to help the girl and her family are to be admired. In notes following the story, the author reveals that the idea came from Israel's West Bank Wall.
February 6, 2022
Read this book for school- twice and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This novel depicts an oppressed society between Palestine and Israel. The author portrays an innocent boy, named Joshua who lives in this in this perfect 'society' called Amarias. The town of Amarias is the place where 13 year old Joshua grew up with his mother & stepfather. However, the town is divided by the Wall & when Joshua discovers a tunnel that leads to the other side his life takes on a dramatic change and his adventure begins.
Amarias, the fictional town where Joshua lives, is modelled on the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to Sutcliffe. However, the terms "Israel" and "Palestine" are never mentioned, allowing for a weightless tale free of preconceived notions.
The most remarkable aspect of this story, though, is how it keeps the reader teetering on the brink of Joshua's innocence, in the spot where vital life decisions are made. We both want Joshua to follow his heart and are afraid of him doing so. The Wall's beauty also lies in the way it provides smooth and natural access to a huge unfolding international drama for the reader. It does so via the eyes of a young boy charmed by a young girl on the other side of a world-dividing wall, as well as his vow to an elderly farmer to repair a parched plot of land with dying olive trees.
Sutcliffe agreed in his book deal that a considerable percentage of his income go to the world and children whose lives he wrote about, and this novel's tenderness is equalled only by the author's sincerity.
This novel depicts an oppressed society between Palestine and Israel. The author portrays an innocent boy, named Joshua who lives in this in this perfect 'society' called Amarias. The town of Amarias is the place where 13 year old Joshua grew up with his mother & stepfather. However, the town is divided by the Wall & when Joshua discovers a tunnel that leads to the other side his life takes on a dramatic change and his adventure begins.
Amarias, the fictional town where Joshua lives, is modelled on the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, according to Sutcliffe. However, the terms "Israel" and "Palestine" are never mentioned, allowing for a weightless tale free of preconceived notions.
The most remarkable aspect of this story, though, is how it keeps the reader teetering on the brink of Joshua's innocence, in the spot where vital life decisions are made. We both want Joshua to follow his heart and are afraid of him doing so. The Wall's beauty also lies in the way it provides smooth and natural access to a huge unfolding international drama for the reader. It does so via the eyes of a young boy charmed by a young girl on the other side of a world-dividing wall, as well as his vow to an elderly farmer to repair a parched plot of land with dying olive trees.
Sutcliffe agreed in his book deal that a considerable percentage of his income go to the world and children whose lives he wrote about, and this novel's tenderness is equalled only by the author's sincerity.
August 22, 2018
Joshua woont met zijn moeder en stiefvader in een verdeelde stad, waar een muur en soldaten twee gemeenschappen van elkaar scheiden. Joshua ontdekt een tunnel naar de andere kant. Hier ontmoet hij een meisje en komen zijn denkbeelden over 'de andere kant' op losse schroeven te staan.
Op Goodreads wordt The Wall door verschillende lezers gecategoriseerd als 'Science Fiction' en/of 'Dystopia', maar eerlijk gezegd zie ik hier eerder een verhaal gebaseerd op de situatie in Israël en Palestina.
Het verhaal van Joshua is hard en wreed, maar tegelijkertijd ook vol liefde. Ik kon niet geloven wat er hem allemaal overkwam en werd geraakt door het verhaal. Een aanrader.
Op Goodreads wordt The Wall door verschillende lezers gecategoriseerd als 'Science Fiction' en/of 'Dystopia', maar eerlijk gezegd zie ik hier eerder een verhaal gebaseerd op de situatie in Israël en Palestina.
Het verhaal van Joshua is hard en wreed, maar tegelijkertijd ook vol liefde. Ik kon niet geloven wat er hem allemaal overkwam en werd geraakt door het verhaal. Een aanrader.
February 20, 2021
Was ein Buch.....! Dieses Buch erzählt leichtfüßig und brutal zugleich die Geschichte eines Jungen der erwachsen wird. Er entwächst der Realität die ihn sein Leben lang umgibt Stück für Stück und während des Lesens wächst man mit ihm.
Dieses Buch ist hochpolitisch ohne je klar zu benennen wo wir uns befinden. Hervorragendes Jugendbuch! Mehr davon!
(In der Widmung wird meine Lieblingsautorin erwähnt. Habe kurz gegrübelt wieso und dann herausgefunden dass der Autor dieses Buches mit ihr verheiratet ist. Was ein schöner Zufall!)
Dieses Buch ist hochpolitisch ohne je klar zu benennen wo wir uns befinden. Hervorragendes Jugendbuch! Mehr davon!
(In der Widmung wird meine Lieblingsautorin erwähnt. Habe kurz gegrübelt wieso und dann herausgefunden dass der Autor dieses Buches mit ihr verheiratet ist. Was ein schöner Zufall!)
September 26, 2013
The Wall is a hard book to review. It's really an analysis of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the West Bank in particular, thinly disguised as fiction. Joshua is a young boy on one side of the wall who through a series of fortunate (or unfortunate) events comes into contact with and befriends a family from the other side. The friendship will have profound consequences on his own life and the lives of those around him.
On the one hand, there are many things that William Sutcliffe does just right. The writing is tight; there are no unnecesary words here. He suceeds in the characterisation of Joshua, who on top of being a normal 13 year old boy going through all of the normal stuff 13 year olds go through is also in the more unique situation of growing up with only a vague idea of the political, military and religious struggles that are going on around him. He comes across as naieve, but not to naieve. Intelligent, but not to intelligent. Strong, but not to strong. I found the secondary characters more hit and miss. The characterisation of Leila, a girl of his own age that Joshua meets across the Wall, is excellent. His stepfather Liev is more two-dimensional and seems to exist simply to hammer in a point . The story is appropriate for teens and doesn't venture into political nuances that they would find hard to understand.
Unfortunately the novels strength in that last area is also its biggest weakness. Some things are just to complex to be simplified; by attempting to simplify the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Sutcliffe sometimes comes across as ignorant, or at worst pushing his own agenda (there were certainly times when it felt like Sutcliffe was trying to MAKE me feel certain things, leading into certain opinions). Overall I feel like more attention could have been paid to the world building rather than just the story itself. More background detail could have still simplified what Sutcliffe was trying to portray, but without leaving out as much crucial detail. Either that, or more of the story needed to be fictionalised. The real-life parallel to this novel is far to thinly veiled to skimp on detail - if you're going to make it that obvious, you might as well do it justice.
On the one hand, there are many things that William Sutcliffe does just right. The writing is tight; there are no unnecesary words here. He suceeds in the characterisation of Joshua, who on top of being a normal 13 year old boy going through all of the normal stuff 13 year olds go through is also in the more unique situation of growing up with only a vague idea of the political, military and religious struggles that are going on around him. He comes across as naieve, but not to naieve. Intelligent, but not to intelligent. Strong, but not to strong. I found the secondary characters more hit and miss. The characterisation of Leila, a girl of his own age that Joshua meets across the Wall, is excellent. His stepfather Liev is more two-dimensional and seems to exist simply to hammer in a point . The story is appropriate for teens and doesn't venture into political nuances that they would find hard to understand.
Unfortunately the novels strength in that last area is also its biggest weakness. Some things are just to complex to be simplified; by attempting to simplify the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Sutcliffe sometimes comes across as ignorant, or at worst pushing his own agenda (there were certainly times when it felt like Sutcliffe was trying to MAKE me feel certain things, leading into certain opinions). Overall I feel like more attention could have been paid to the world building rather than just the story itself. More background detail could have still simplified what Sutcliffe was trying to portray, but without leaving out as much crucial detail. Either that, or more of the story needed to be fictionalised. The real-life parallel to this novel is far to thinly veiled to skimp on detail - if you're going to make it that obvious, you might as well do it justice.
August 21, 2015
I AM SO HAPPY TO HAVE FINISHED THIS BOOK!!! It was required for school and I struggled through the first hundred pages in which the protagonist was in serious need of an adventure. But, in the end I feel like I have a much better perspective on struggles in Israel.
September 27, 2017
When I picked up the book and read the back cover, I thought it would be something like the maze runner. But I was so wrong, so wrong. Although the beginning is a bit slow, I found myself reading and not able to stop. Just like Joshua, you don't know about the world out there at first. And then you slowly built knowledge around that. I think he's very brave, his attitude. That really touched me. The ending was the least what I had expected and it made me sad but also really emotional. The message of the story is very beautiful.
July 29, 2019
Presented almost as a dystopia, you soon realise that it's more real, more current, but somehow further away for that. Very well written, engaging and with an all important happy ending.
May 9, 2022
I really enjoyed this, it took me to the heart of a war zone and segregation. It showed me how there are always good and bad people on both sides, it warmed my heart.
May 29, 2024
Meglio di altri libri per ragazzi che ho letto, estremamente attuale
September 27, 2018
This book has incredible detail and suspense, and tells a great story. Also my dad is in the credits.
February 22, 2020
Joshua vive en Amarias, una ciudad rodeada por un gran muro que únicamente puede atravesarse por un control fronterizo. A Joshua le han enseñado que el muro es lo único que los separa de los brutales asesinos que viven más allá. Pero un día...
Una historia cautivadora y cruda, personajes que te generan amor y odio. 100% recomendable.
Una historia cautivadora y cruda, personajes que te generan amor y odio. 100% recomendable.
December 5, 2022
It was a entertaining book i really liked it
April 11, 2013
Sometimes when you pick up a book, it seems like fiction. There is a dystopian feel to the story and as the plot develops and thickens a reader may wonder how society came to be some way. How could a people segregate others, or deny whole groups of people something, because they have determined it to be so. How can an army act a certain way, or how can children be raised to hate or fear others, convinced that some people are so different than them; their way of life so much different.
There is a Wall. One side believes that they are a chosen people, that their ideals are superb and that their view of life and structure is the only one. One side is suffering, covered in rules and forced to abandon all they knew and held dear because they are on the “other”, the “wrong” side of a Wall.
“The town of Amarias is fictional.” It says in the Author’s Note, but the story of the West Bank is not. While some places in The Wall are representations of the West Bank, much of the book’s characters are fictional. These characters face real challenges that real people do, with perceptions that people also hold true all over the world. The characters in The Wall are riveting and discovering so many things about each other and the different viewpoints on each side of the wall.
This is a heart wrenching tale of two families that are both struggling to survive from their own demons; whether they be the constraints of a wall, or the abuse in a family plus the weight of war. William Sutcliff has created a fictional dynamic that feels like fantasy, but at the very real cost of possible present day outcomes and war. Ripe with interpersonal conflict and love, this story captivates readers into the struggles of two families on either side of the wall trying to protect the ones they love. Joshua has been born on the Amarias side of the Wall, his life has been sheltered, well fed and told horrible stories about the other side of the wall. Leila lives on that “other” side of the Wall, her world is full of danger, and hunger. The army is on the Amarias side, and Amarias is not only looking for more land to call their own with which they take by force, but also with displacing the people living on the other side as well. While families and farms have been bisected by these Walls erected by Amarias, and the destruction of the land nis not only destroying the families and their livelihood, but also their freedoms and beliefs.
Joshua’s home is full of fear and hate, with an abusive stepfather and a grieving widow of a mother, there is much unrest. When crossing through a tunnel in the Wall, Joshua comes face to face with the other world he has been taught to fear, but instead finds an oppressed people and a friend.
Leila was only trying to protect a boy, but soon finds that in helping Joshua she has threatened her family and her home. As the story unfolds you find that the youth are discovering more about their circumstance, and that trust and perseverance can make a garden grow. The Wall is fiction, but transpires along a thread that could be a story from families today. Well written and engaging this YA release with astound readers, but also leave them conflicted because the themes of the story are present day realities. Find out more about The Wall today, by picking up a copy.
There is a Wall. One side believes that they are a chosen people, that their ideals are superb and that their view of life and structure is the only one. One side is suffering, covered in rules and forced to abandon all they knew and held dear because they are on the “other”, the “wrong” side of a Wall.
“The town of Amarias is fictional.” It says in the Author’s Note, but the story of the West Bank is not. While some places in The Wall are representations of the West Bank, much of the book’s characters are fictional. These characters face real challenges that real people do, with perceptions that people also hold true all over the world. The characters in The Wall are riveting and discovering so many things about each other and the different viewpoints on each side of the wall.
This is a heart wrenching tale of two families that are both struggling to survive from their own demons; whether they be the constraints of a wall, or the abuse in a family plus the weight of war. William Sutcliff has created a fictional dynamic that feels like fantasy, but at the very real cost of possible present day outcomes and war. Ripe with interpersonal conflict and love, this story captivates readers into the struggles of two families on either side of the wall trying to protect the ones they love. Joshua has been born on the Amarias side of the Wall, his life has been sheltered, well fed and told horrible stories about the other side of the wall. Leila lives on that “other” side of the Wall, her world is full of danger, and hunger. The army is on the Amarias side, and Amarias is not only looking for more land to call their own with which they take by force, but also with displacing the people living on the other side as well. While families and farms have been bisected by these Walls erected by Amarias, and the destruction of the land nis not only destroying the families and their livelihood, but also their freedoms and beliefs.
Joshua’s home is full of fear and hate, with an abusive stepfather and a grieving widow of a mother, there is much unrest. When crossing through a tunnel in the Wall, Joshua comes face to face with the other world he has been taught to fear, but instead finds an oppressed people and a friend.
Leila was only trying to protect a boy, but soon finds that in helping Joshua she has threatened her family and her home. As the story unfolds you find that the youth are discovering more about their circumstance, and that trust and perseverance can make a garden grow. The Wall is fiction, but transpires along a thread that could be a story from families today. Well written and engaging this YA release with astound readers, but also leave them conflicted because the themes of the story are present day realities. Find out more about The Wall today, by picking up a copy.
May 8, 2014
I read this book for shadowing the 2014 CILIP Carnegie Medal.
Joshua lives in a fiction town called Amarias, a place where everything is perfect, new and safe. The town is surrounded by a high wall and protected by soldiers, what lies on the other side is the enemy, people who seek to harm them. One day Joshua finds a tunnel which takes him to the other side of the wall. What he finds there is unexpected kindness and a debt of friendship that he feels he can never repay.
Reading that description of this story you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a dystopic science-fiction vision of the future. In fact for the first part of this book you could easily read under that illusion. What this novel is really about (or rather it is heavily implied) is the Israeli-Palestine conflict on the West Bank, and it is well grounded in conflicts still happening right now in 2014.
We are told the story from the point of view of Joshua, a thirteen-year old boy who has only a thin grasp of the political landscape he lives in, so there is little time devoted to explaining the religious or political issues at play. This is a book written for a teenage audience who are unlikely to be aware of the situation in the West Bank, so Joshua’s perspective without the weightier stuff you’d get in those written for adults. It would be a good book to recommend to students as an introduction to the topic, and interesting to discuss in a book group.
Joshua was a well realised character, and very easy to identify with. He is in many ways a “normal” teenage boy, who has spent most of his life feeling isolated in town he doesn’t understand and a house with a step-father he hates. Like many thirteen-year olds he is naive about the realities of the world he lives in, but not too naïve to remain blind. He is clever, but not too much so. Above all he is kind and generous at heart, and he cannot stand by and do nothing about the injustices he sees. Leila was also interesting, as was the sense of friendship and loyalty they felt despite only have met a couple of times. The other supporting characters were a little sketchy, particularly his step father Liev. I felt that he came across as a bully and little more.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I found I took a long time to get going, and I wasn’t particularly gripped by the story until the last 100 pages or so. The ending is superficially happy, but offers no easy answers and leaves plenty of food for thought. After I finished it I was inspired to do some research into the current situation on the West Bank, and I was left with an appreciated for the country that I live in and the freedoms that I enjoy. I'd recommend it to my keener students, it's quite a tough read and hard going in places.
It's not one of my favourites, but it was definitely an interesting read that left me thinking afterwards.
Joshua lives in a fiction town called Amarias, a place where everything is perfect, new and safe. The town is surrounded by a high wall and protected by soldiers, what lies on the other side is the enemy, people who seek to harm them. One day Joshua finds a tunnel which takes him to the other side of the wall. What he finds there is unexpected kindness and a debt of friendship that he feels he can never repay.
Reading that description of this story you could be forgiven for mistaking it for a dystopic science-fiction vision of the future. In fact for the first part of this book you could easily read under that illusion. What this novel is really about (or rather it is heavily implied) is the Israeli-Palestine conflict on the West Bank, and it is well grounded in conflicts still happening right now in 2014.
We are told the story from the point of view of Joshua, a thirteen-year old boy who has only a thin grasp of the political landscape he lives in, so there is little time devoted to explaining the religious or political issues at play. This is a book written for a teenage audience who are unlikely to be aware of the situation in the West Bank, so Joshua’s perspective without the weightier stuff you’d get in those written for adults. It would be a good book to recommend to students as an introduction to the topic, and interesting to discuss in a book group.
Joshua was a well realised character, and very easy to identify with. He is in many ways a “normal” teenage boy, who has spent most of his life feeling isolated in town he doesn’t understand and a house with a step-father he hates. Like many thirteen-year olds he is naive about the realities of the world he lives in, but not too naïve to remain blind. He is clever, but not too much so. Above all he is kind and generous at heart, and he cannot stand by and do nothing about the injustices he sees. Leila was also interesting, as was the sense of friendship and loyalty they felt despite only have met a couple of times. The other supporting characters were a little sketchy, particularly his step father Liev. I felt that he came across as a bully and little more.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. I found I took a long time to get going, and I wasn’t particularly gripped by the story until the last 100 pages or so. The ending is superficially happy, but offers no easy answers and leaves plenty of food for thought. After I finished it I was inspired to do some research into the current situation on the West Bank, and I was left with an appreciated for the country that I live in and the freedoms that I enjoy. I'd recommend it to my keener students, it's quite a tough read and hard going in places.
It's not one of my favourites, but it was definitely an interesting read that left me thinking afterwards.
March 23, 2014
I don't really know what to think about this book. I really enjoyed it but found it slightly confusing and aching.
Joshua is definitely a brave boy I don't think I would have found the courage to go over the fence to get the football, let alone go inside the tunnel and up the other side. The war was never really explained and at times I was wondering who the fenced in people actually were, obviously Leila and her family on the other side were the most restricted with curfews and patrols and having to have a pass to freely travel. Yet Joshua and his family and friends were also restricted, growing up in the shadow of the wall, having to join the army as soon as they were of age, living in a very oppressive household.
I don't know much about The Wall that this may have been based on, Israel and Palestine but I'll be definitely reading up about it. It's amazing how many places have been separated by walls (Berlin and Cyprus are the ones which spring to mind). It really makes you think.
I read this one for the Carnegie award. I'm very impressed by it, what both sides sacrificed and the personal difficulties the characters had to overcome made it a compelling read. It's been marked on Goodreads as dystopian, although I'm not sure if it really is?
One thing that's gonna stick in my mind is the olive grove and the way Joshua felt in the olive grove. Having walked around a few in Crete and Cyprus I can vividly imagine it. I hope in the future he gets to build his olive grove by the sea :)
Joshua is definitely a brave boy I don't think I would have found the courage to go over the fence to get the football, let alone go inside the tunnel and up the other side. The war was never really explained and at times I was wondering who the fenced in people actually were, obviously Leila and her family on the other side were the most restricted with curfews and patrols and having to have a pass to freely travel. Yet Joshua and his family and friends were also restricted, growing up in the shadow of the wall, having to join the army as soon as they were of age, living in a very oppressive household.
I don't know much about The Wall that this may have been based on, Israel and Palestine but I'll be definitely reading up about it. It's amazing how many places have been separated by walls (Berlin and Cyprus are the ones which spring to mind). It really makes you think.
I read this one for the Carnegie award. I'm very impressed by it, what both sides sacrificed and the personal difficulties the characters had to overcome made it a compelling read. It's been marked on Goodreads as dystopian, although I'm not sure if it really is?
One thing that's gonna stick in my mind is the olive grove and the way Joshua felt in the olive grove. Having walked around a few in Crete and Cyprus I can vividly imagine it. I hope in the future he gets to build his olive grove by the sea :)
August 14, 2018
this was a very childish book indeed.
it took me about four days to read it.
it is actually about a thirteen years old boy called Joshua who lives with his mother and his step father in a town called Amarias.
his real father has passed away and he is the only child.
this is the plot of the story.
one day he is playing foot ball with his very good friends David and while looking for the foot ball he comes across a wall.
this is actually a secret wall which the people don't want the public to know about it.
Joshua then secretly makes his way through the tunnel which he has actually discovered while he was discovering the wall.
and then a group of children get after him who want to hurt him and he tries to escape but then he is saved by a girl called Leila who saves him from them.
he then lies to his mother and his step father about the tunnel but he is in big trouble for what he has done and for wanting to know more about the tunnel.
his step father called Liev is very strict and treats him badly and gets angry with him due to the tunnel.
he says bad things to him.
Joshua then complains to his mother about his step father.
this is how the story unfolds.
this book was similar to a child story book.
it took me about four days to read it.
it is actually about a thirteen years old boy called Joshua who lives with his mother and his step father in a town called Amarias.
his real father has passed away and he is the only child.
this is the plot of the story.
one day he is playing foot ball with his very good friends David and while looking for the foot ball he comes across a wall.
this is actually a secret wall which the people don't want the public to know about it.
Joshua then secretly makes his way through the tunnel which he has actually discovered while he was discovering the wall.
and then a group of children get after him who want to hurt him and he tries to escape but then he is saved by a girl called Leila who saves him from them.
he then lies to his mother and his step father about the tunnel but he is in big trouble for what he has done and for wanting to know more about the tunnel.
his step father called Liev is very strict and treats him badly and gets angry with him due to the tunnel.
he says bad things to him.
Joshua then complains to his mother about his step father.
this is how the story unfolds.
this book was similar to a child story book.
January 22, 2013
Wonderful book. The main character is wholly relatable (and I am nowhere near 13 nor a boy). The location where the story takes place could easily be anywhere on Earth, or even in some other universe parallel to our own. Although there are some hints which place Joseph and his world, and these hints grown more specific and more frequent toward the end, after you already know everything important there is to know about him.
I believe this would be an excellent book to discuss in a book group or in a classroom (I would not say the material is appropriate for most children under the age of 13).It is filled with symbols, parallels, motifs, metaphors, many possible themes, and wonderfully complex character choices. The writing is beautiful yet unobtrusive. You can glide through chapter after chapter without stopping to re-read poorly written prose or convoluted plot structure, because none exists.
I do not wish to say anything about the plot since I am reading an advanced copy and the book is not out until April. But it is a well-worth read that can get you thinking. It informs, entertains, and inspires.
I believe this would be an excellent book to discuss in a book group or in a classroom (I would not say the material is appropriate for most children under the age of 13).It is filled with symbols, parallels, motifs, metaphors, many possible themes, and wonderfully complex character choices. The writing is beautiful yet unobtrusive. You can glide through chapter after chapter without stopping to re-read poorly written prose or convoluted plot structure, because none exists.
I do not wish to say anything about the plot since I am reading an advanced copy and the book is not out until April. But it is a well-worth read that can get you thinking. It informs, entertains, and inspires.
June 2, 2014
Shortlisted by the prestigious UK Carnegie Award for 2014, The Wall is a stunningly written novel about a boy called Joshua living in a town separated by a wall. When he finds a tunnel while searching for his soccer ball on an abandoned building site, his life changes forever. He sees what is on the other side of the wall, and is shocked by what he finds. His eyes are opened to the truth and the kindness he discovers shapes the rest of the story and his life. Joshua is a very real character, torn between beliefs he has grown up with and what he has learnt for himself. His growth as a character is wonderfully written, through all his trials along the way.
April 9, 2013
An extarodinary story about a boy who lives on the West Bank and after loosing a football finds a tunnel that takes him through to " the other side of the wall" where he didcovers a whole new way of living that he was unaware of and meets and befriends " the enemy" .. it tests everything he knows about his daily life, loyalties, friendshps and even his relationship with his parents..excellent sense of place, a bit clunky in places, and not an enjoyable read..but good recomendaion folr lovers of The Kite RuRunner and Boy in striped Pyjamas...
July 14, 2013
The Wall, ever present, and not questioned until Joshua's football is lost on the other side. When retrieving it, a small act of rebellion, which leads to more and more rebellious behaviour, and unlike the first one, not based on boredom. For Joshua discovers a tunnel, a dark enticing tunnel which he finds he can't resist and having crawled through to the other side he finds a life and people who challenges all he has been told, especially by his step father. How far should he go?
A serious read. Brutal in many ways, gentle in others.
A serious read. Brutal in many ways, gentle in others.
June 25, 2013
Though described by the subtitle as a fable, this novel is clearly about the West Bank and the violent conflict Israeli settlements have brought to that region. Readers unfamiliar with the real-life Palestinian-Israeli conflict upon which the story is based are likely to take it for dystopian fiction, which seems at least appropriate for the Palestinian side. Classroom or small group discussion will be needed to get the most of this intriguing, provocative story.
August 1, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. At first I thought it was just another dystopian story until it hit me all of a sudden that the story was a reflection of the ongoing Israel/Palestine conflict. From there the book really opened up to me and grabbed my attention.
October 4, 2015
Powerful, emotional, tense and beautifully written
Displaying 1 - 30 of 222 reviews