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The Skinning Tree
Srikumar Sen is 81 years old and The Skinning Tree is his debut novel. It won the first ever Tibor Jones South Asia Prize in 2012 as an unpublished manuscript.
About the book
Nine-year-old Sabby lives in his imagination, at his grandmother’s house in Calcutta. He lives in a family where the anglicised sophistication of bridge and dinner parties co-exist with Indian values and nationalism. Sabby’s world is filled with the adventures of comic book heroes, tales from far and away, successfully pulling him away from the city that breathes outside his doorstep. But when the Japanese advance on India during World War II, Sabby finds himself being sent to a boarding school in northern India.
In a regime of rules and punishments, the schoolboys are beaten and brutalized by the teachers; they are transformed into mirrors of their abusers. From the mindless killing of birds and animals, the bodies of their skinned trophies are thrown on to a cactus known as the Skinning Tree, the boys’ thoughts turn to murder, which to them feels like a natural consequence of the pain inflicted on them. Conspiratorial whisperings and talk of killing and revenge spiral into a tragedy engulfing Sabby.
Revisiting the ghosts of memory that haunted a boyhood, The Skinning Tree marks an evocative and elegant debut.
About the book
Nine-year-old Sabby lives in his imagination, at his grandmother’s house in Calcutta. He lives in a family where the anglicised sophistication of bridge and dinner parties co-exist with Indian values and nationalism. Sabby’s world is filled with the adventures of comic book heroes, tales from far and away, successfully pulling him away from the city that breathes outside his doorstep. But when the Japanese advance on India during World War II, Sabby finds himself being sent to a boarding school in northern India.
In a regime of rules and punishments, the schoolboys are beaten and brutalized by the teachers; they are transformed into mirrors of their abusers. From the mindless killing of birds and animals, the bodies of their skinned trophies are thrown on to a cactus known as the Skinning Tree, the boys’ thoughts turn to murder, which to them feels like a natural consequence of the pain inflicted on them. Conspiratorial whisperings and talk of killing and revenge spiral into a tragedy engulfing Sabby.
Revisiting the ghosts of memory that haunted a boyhood, The Skinning Tree marks an evocative and elegant debut.
222 pages, Hardcover
First published December 10, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
May 15, 2015
81 year old Srikumar Sen's debut novel is commendable for the sheer determination and accomplishment.
The Skinning tree as I read it was meant to show the skinning of innocence in the Anglo-Indian boarding school. Kids far away from their parents subjected to disciplining with straps and cane resort to cruelty, planning murder as if discussing movies. It might as well have been a case against boarding schools in general.
Calcutta pre Independence through the eyes of a 9 year old Sabby is evocative and the innocence of the kid who owns his England and decides who is part of his world is endearing. The initial fear and uncertainty in boarding school have been shown with warm narrative. But the transition to the mean boy's club is abrupt and seems more convenient.
The story starts out as a first person narrative, but within the first few pages switches to a distant observer. Maybe the story told through the eyes of the protagonist could have made it more reasonable. Some graphic imagery seems a bit like overkill even within the 220 pages.
Overall, a decent attempt but does not hold your attention.
The Skinning tree as I read it was meant to show the skinning of innocence in the Anglo-Indian boarding school. Kids far away from their parents subjected to disciplining with straps and cane resort to cruelty, planning murder as if discussing movies. It might as well have been a case against boarding schools in general.
Calcutta pre Independence through the eyes of a 9 year old Sabby is evocative and the innocence of the kid who owns his England and decides who is part of his world is endearing. The initial fear and uncertainty in boarding school have been shown with warm narrative. But the transition to the mean boy's club is abrupt and seems more convenient.
The story starts out as a first person narrative, but within the first few pages switches to a distant observer. Maybe the story told through the eyes of the protagonist could have made it more reasonable. Some graphic imagery seems a bit like overkill even within the 220 pages.
Overall, a decent attempt but does not hold your attention.
February 2, 2013
By Srikumar Sen. Grade: A+
After reading first few chapters these three things may happen with you:
a) “What are you saying?” you’ll mumble, as you scratch your lost head, looking here and there to soak the reality around you.
And then,
b) You will spend the next twenty minutes trying to get your head out of Sabby's (the protagonist's) world, but ultimately you will give up. You'll then pick up the book compulsively again to get lost in the lucid dream that is saccharine and cruel simultaneously.
And finally,
c) You’ll complete this beautiful and richly textured book and will try to introspect the excruciating thoughts the book leaves you with. The effect is delectably unnerving. Then you will call your friends frothing your mouth with excitement asking them to read this book.
The Skinning Tree by Srikumar Sen
Nine-year-old Sabby lives in his imagination, at his grandmother’s house in Calcutta. He lives in a family where the anglicised sophistication of bridge and dinner parties co-exist with Indian values and nationalism. Sabby’s world is filled with the adventures of comic book heroes, tales from far and away, successfully pulling him away from the city that breathes outside his doorstep. But when the Japanese advance on India during World War II, Sabby finds himself being sent to a boarding school in northern India.
In a regime of rules and punishments, the schoolboys are beaten and brutalized by the teachers; they are transformed into mirrors of their abusers. From the mindless killing of birds and animals, the bodies of their skinned trophies are thrown on to a cactus known as the Skinning Tree, the boys’ thoughts turn to murder, which to them feels like a natural consequence of the pain inflicted on them. Conspiratorial whisperings and talk of killing and revenge spiral into a tragedy engulfing Sabby.
Revisiting the ghosts of memory that haunted a boyhood, The Skinning Tree marks an evocative and elegant debut.
The Skinning Tree is an enthralling memoir viewed through the eyes and mind of nine-year-old Sabby. Sabby is in school in Calcutta - or Cal, as he calls it. All the comic heroes of Sabby play in the land called England. India is in England. England is in Cal. And Cal is in the yard of his grandmother's two houses. Sabby controls things in Cal. Sweet?
"Murder was the plaything of us kids. We fooled with the idea of killing like some kids fool with fire."
That is how our story opens. This malign transformation invades the innocence of a child and robs him out of peace all his life.
The title 'The Skinning Tree' refers to a cactus tree growing behind the complex. A complex where mindlessly killed birds, animals and bodies of their skinned trophies are thrown. The name of the book and the obvious contrast of a green jacket with a cactus tree in itself have the potential to inspire some critical essays.
Set in the 1940s, at the peak of World War II, Japanese crusade towards Pearl Harbor, Sabby’s parents send him off to an Anglo-Indian boarding school in Gaddipahar for his safety. Unfortunately for Sabby, during those times boarding schools were a regime of rules and punishments where wielding canes and straps are used freely to discipline the boys. Brutalized by the teachers and medieval punishments, this sense of violence has profound consequences on developing the psyche of incorrigible juvenile delinquents which ultimately ignite their thirst for killing. The high profile school turns to be breeding ground for killers. They aggregate their violence on animals and birds; the eponymous skinning tree becomes a sort of facade of frustration and sadistic joys for boys. But actually this isn’t really the setting; the entire book is set inside one man's head, Sabby's head. There’s no point in explaining the plot any further, because that would suck away all the fun.
Sen writes with a stylish pen even though you may see plot holes the size of Cal. Strangely enough, it just works in the books’s favor. Yes, because it is replete with see-its-my-style contrivances. Sen gives you a synopsis of the story in first few chapters and challenges you to put the book down. It is deliberately slow-paced story that patiently unwraps itself, giving away little with each step, may be a little too much in the beginning. It’s a rat trap I would say, a beautiful one, or an adobe. But it’s more fascinating than the cheese itself.
It took Sen forty-three years, a career in sports journalism and three years of writing to come up with this ambitious first offering. Winner of the inaugural Tibor Jones South Asia Prize last year— given to the best unpublished novel by a South Asian writer unrepresented by a literary agent, The Skinning Tree is a different sort of story and thought-provoking without weighing too heavy. The style of writing is so heart-wrenching that it actually manages to flood your brain with the questions layering in the mind of Sabby.
It’s one of those books that frequently challenges the reader's philosophical levels, and delivers on the humongous expectations of allegories. There’s not a space to put in a feather - the editing is brutal and just fine (it is published about half the size of original manuscript by Sen). The only large flaw is perhaps the dragged sappy ending which can be forgiven in bargain of the class of writing Mr. Sen has offered. Mr Sen has effortlessly placed himself in the pantheon of the sought out writers in my list. In a perfect world inhabited by clones of my own self, 'The Skinning Tree' would be a bestseller.
Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com
After reading first few chapters these three things may happen with you:
a) “What are you saying?” you’ll mumble, as you scratch your lost head, looking here and there to soak the reality around you.
And then,
b) You will spend the next twenty minutes trying to get your head out of Sabby's (the protagonist's) world, but ultimately you will give up. You'll then pick up the book compulsively again to get lost in the lucid dream that is saccharine and cruel simultaneously.
And finally,
c) You’ll complete this beautiful and richly textured book and will try to introspect the excruciating thoughts the book leaves you with. The effect is delectably unnerving. Then you will call your friends frothing your mouth with excitement asking them to read this book.
The Skinning Tree by Srikumar Sen
Nine-year-old Sabby lives in his imagination, at his grandmother’s house in Calcutta. He lives in a family where the anglicised sophistication of bridge and dinner parties co-exist with Indian values and nationalism. Sabby’s world is filled with the adventures of comic book heroes, tales from far and away, successfully pulling him away from the city that breathes outside his doorstep. But when the Japanese advance on India during World War II, Sabby finds himself being sent to a boarding school in northern India.
In a regime of rules and punishments, the schoolboys are beaten and brutalized by the teachers; they are transformed into mirrors of their abusers. From the mindless killing of birds and animals, the bodies of their skinned trophies are thrown on to a cactus known as the Skinning Tree, the boys’ thoughts turn to murder, which to them feels like a natural consequence of the pain inflicted on them. Conspiratorial whisperings and talk of killing and revenge spiral into a tragedy engulfing Sabby.
Revisiting the ghosts of memory that haunted a boyhood, The Skinning Tree marks an evocative and elegant debut.
The Skinning Tree is an enthralling memoir viewed through the eyes and mind of nine-year-old Sabby. Sabby is in school in Calcutta - or Cal, as he calls it. All the comic heroes of Sabby play in the land called England. India is in England. England is in Cal. And Cal is in the yard of his grandmother's two houses. Sabby controls things in Cal. Sweet?
"Murder was the plaything of us kids. We fooled with the idea of killing like some kids fool with fire."
That is how our story opens. This malign transformation invades the innocence of a child and robs him out of peace all his life.
The title 'The Skinning Tree' refers to a cactus tree growing behind the complex. A complex where mindlessly killed birds, animals and bodies of their skinned trophies are thrown. The name of the book and the obvious contrast of a green jacket with a cactus tree in itself have the potential to inspire some critical essays.
Set in the 1940s, at the peak of World War II, Japanese crusade towards Pearl Harbor, Sabby’s parents send him off to an Anglo-Indian boarding school in Gaddipahar for his safety. Unfortunately for Sabby, during those times boarding schools were a regime of rules and punishments where wielding canes and straps are used freely to discipline the boys. Brutalized by the teachers and medieval punishments, this sense of violence has profound consequences on developing the psyche of incorrigible juvenile delinquents which ultimately ignite their thirst for killing. The high profile school turns to be breeding ground for killers. They aggregate their violence on animals and birds; the eponymous skinning tree becomes a sort of facade of frustration and sadistic joys for boys. But actually this isn’t really the setting; the entire book is set inside one man's head, Sabby's head. There’s no point in explaining the plot any further, because that would suck away all the fun.
Sen writes with a stylish pen even though you may see plot holes the size of Cal. Strangely enough, it just works in the books’s favor. Yes, because it is replete with see-its-my-style contrivances. Sen gives you a synopsis of the story in first few chapters and challenges you to put the book down. It is deliberately slow-paced story that patiently unwraps itself, giving away little with each step, may be a little too much in the beginning. It’s a rat trap I would say, a beautiful one, or an adobe. But it’s more fascinating than the cheese itself.
It took Sen forty-three years, a career in sports journalism and three years of writing to come up with this ambitious first offering. Winner of the inaugural Tibor Jones South Asia Prize last year— given to the best unpublished novel by a South Asian writer unrepresented by a literary agent, The Skinning Tree is a different sort of story and thought-provoking without weighing too heavy. The style of writing is so heart-wrenching that it actually manages to flood your brain with the questions layering in the mind of Sabby.
It’s one of those books that frequently challenges the reader's philosophical levels, and delivers on the humongous expectations of allegories. There’s not a space to put in a feather - the editing is brutal and just fine (it is published about half the size of original manuscript by Sen). The only large flaw is perhaps the dragged sappy ending which can be forgiven in bargain of the class of writing Mr. Sen has offered. Mr Sen has effortlessly placed himself in the pantheon of the sought out writers in my list. In a perfect world inhabited by clones of my own self, 'The Skinning Tree' would be a bestseller.
Originally reviewed at www.vaultofbooks.com
June 19, 2017
‘The Skinning Tree’ presents the harsh methods adopted by the masters, in boarding schools, to punish children & the consequent effects of these methods on children’s psychology.
*The Dream & the Reality
The narrative centers around a 7 year old boy, Sabby, living in an elite family of Calcutta. The novel is set in the time of World War II. Sabby aka Sabjee Sarkar lives in a dream world. His world is confined only to the boundaries of his city, Cal (Calcutta).
Sabby is shown as an innocent child who is not yet exposed to the cruelties of the real world. But his dream world shatters, when soldiers are seen all around Cal & he hears people talking about the attacks from Japanese. Bewildered by the odd events taking shape around him, Sabby is jolted when his family decides to send him to a boarding school, somewhere in Northern India.
On reaching the Boarding school, Sabby witnesses such things as he had never seen or heard about. The Brothers & the Sisters at that christian school are strict disciplinarians. Those who do not conform to rules & regulations are beaten mercilessly.
Gradually, Sabby starts adjusting in this alien world. As he mixes with the children, he starts taking part in a cruel activity. The children kill birds & small animals, mercilessly and peel off their skins. Then, they throw their skinned bodies on a cactus tree, which is called The Skinning Tree.
Is this activity the result of the brutal treatment given to children? Or is it just a teaser of something bigger that lies ahead?
*My Verdict
The initial few pages can confuse readers. The novel begins with 1st person narrative and soon it changes to 3rd person narrative. In the last chapter, it again shifts to 1st person. It is only in the end, that we realize that the 1st person narratives actually serve the purpose of a Prologue & an Epilogue.
The writing style of the author is engrossing. The story line, too, holds our interest till the ending. In the beginning, the novel is slow paced. The author presents Sabby’s dream world in a detailed manner. There are just descriptive passages & few conversations. I found it quite boring & it is the only thing that I didn’t like in this book.
The plot moves like a train, gaining speed gradually. As we move towards the end, the narrative becomes quite intense just like some action sequence. And what lies ahead, that is the climax, is something that will make you literally shout at the characters.
What I liked very much about the book is the way the author has presented a child’s psychology. One can relate to Sabby at several points. The fearsome punishments & the fanciful flights of children both run parallel. But it is the former that ultimately wins by hampering the latter.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. This book was sheer delight to read & I loved the climax. It was something that made me cry in my heart. It can prove to be a transforming book for some people.
My Rating: ***** (4.5/5)
*The Dream & the Reality
The narrative centers around a 7 year old boy, Sabby, living in an elite family of Calcutta. The novel is set in the time of World War II. Sabby aka Sabjee Sarkar lives in a dream world. His world is confined only to the boundaries of his city, Cal (Calcutta).
Sabby is shown as an innocent child who is not yet exposed to the cruelties of the real world. But his dream world shatters, when soldiers are seen all around Cal & he hears people talking about the attacks from Japanese. Bewildered by the odd events taking shape around him, Sabby is jolted when his family decides to send him to a boarding school, somewhere in Northern India.
On reaching the Boarding school, Sabby witnesses such things as he had never seen or heard about. The Brothers & the Sisters at that christian school are strict disciplinarians. Those who do not conform to rules & regulations are beaten mercilessly.
Gradually, Sabby starts adjusting in this alien world. As he mixes with the children, he starts taking part in a cruel activity. The children kill birds & small animals, mercilessly and peel off their skins. Then, they throw their skinned bodies on a cactus tree, which is called The Skinning Tree.
Is this activity the result of the brutal treatment given to children? Or is it just a teaser of something bigger that lies ahead?
*My Verdict
The initial few pages can confuse readers. The novel begins with 1st person narrative and soon it changes to 3rd person narrative. In the last chapter, it again shifts to 1st person. It is only in the end, that we realize that the 1st person narratives actually serve the purpose of a Prologue & an Epilogue.
The writing style of the author is engrossing. The story line, too, holds our interest till the ending. In the beginning, the novel is slow paced. The author presents Sabby’s dream world in a detailed manner. There are just descriptive passages & few conversations. I found it quite boring & it is the only thing that I didn’t like in this book.
The plot moves like a train, gaining speed gradually. As we move towards the end, the narrative becomes quite intense just like some action sequence. And what lies ahead, that is the climax, is something that will make you literally shout at the characters.
What I liked very much about the book is the way the author has presented a child’s psychology. One can relate to Sabby at several points. The fearsome punishments & the fanciful flights of children both run parallel. But it is the former that ultimately wins by hampering the latter.
I enjoyed this book thoroughly. This book was sheer delight to read & I loved the climax. It was something that made me cry in my heart. It can prove to be a transforming book for some people.
My Rating: ***** (4.5/5)
May 28, 2022
Pointless story.
Reminded me of Vidyapith (boarding school) though
Reminded me of Vidyapith (boarding school) though
May 31, 2015
The experiences of a nine-year old exposed to two forms of life, one contrastingly different from the other, is what forms the crux of the book. A safe life with his parents and his own 'England' in Calcutta (Cal) and another with the hostel where he sees how different life could be. The picture that this book provides of both Cal and the hostel is something that the author (who got this debut book of his out at the age of 81) has done worthy of appreciation. It is sure to take you back to your school days, where you were either the bully or the one being bullied. The book gets to its comfort zone seamlessly after Sabby, the protagonist, enters the hostel and the book never has a rushed effect. The metamorphosis of a human being likened to that of a caterpillar forms the crux of the book, and I guess this title 'The Skinning Tree' was the best creative title I've seen in ages (Moth Smoke being another title). Worth a read on a rainy Sunday afternoon!
There are many many books which go unnoticed (and unread) unless someone points you to those books in some form or another. One good thing about the The Sunday Book Club (TSBC) is the TSBCChallenge which often exposes you to books you'd not have known about otherwise. The Skinning Tree is one such book.
There are many many books which go unnoticed (and unread) unless someone points you to those books in some form or another. One good thing about the The Sunday Book Club (TSBC) is the TSBCChallenge which often exposes you to books you'd not have known about otherwise. The Skinning Tree is one such book.
July 13, 2018
The story is set in Calcutta west India where Sabby lives with his family in his grandmothers house where British habits such as bridge and lavish dinner parties that co-exist with Indian values and nationalism.
The story is told from young nine-year old Sabby's point of view. Sabby attends the school he loves at St Theresa's school with Bible stories and playing with plasticine.
As the Calcutta is about to be bombed by the Japanese Sabby's school is closing down, Sabby is sent by train to St Piatus boarding school in the nortern part of India.
This is Srikumar Sen's first novel . I admire his writing skills.
Srikumar Sen was born in Calcutta educated at oxford. He started his career as a journalist at the statesman in India. Then he later relocated to England where he worked at The Guardian before moving on to The Times and working as their boxing correspondent for thirty years.
The story is told from young nine-year old Sabby's point of view. Sabby attends the school he loves at St Theresa's school with Bible stories and playing with plasticine.
As the Calcutta is about to be bombed by the Japanese Sabby's school is closing down, Sabby is sent by train to St Piatus boarding school in the nortern part of India.
This is Srikumar Sen's first novel . I admire his writing skills.
Srikumar Sen was born in Calcutta educated at oxford. He started his career as a journalist at the statesman in India. Then he later relocated to England where he worked at The Guardian before moving on to The Times and working as their boxing correspondent for thirty years.
April 1, 2015
More than anything, read this book for its breathtakingly beautiful and vivid images where you might be able to trace your own childhood in some nooks and crannies of Sabby's life in Cal. In terms of action, the book is slow-moving, giving reader a leisurely walk through the memories alongside the young protagonist. It piqued my interest sparingly initially, maybe because I always read it in chaotic surroundings and failed to sink into its relaxed pace. The later half of the story, marked by the departure of the Collins family, did lure me in, into the otherwise closed lives of boys' boarding school.
There are certain images that tend to stay with the reader because they carry an intense emotional appeal. For me, it was Sabby enduring 'the strap' because he wouldn't tell the Brother why he was at the wall. An intense home-sickness for a home which doesn't last forever, is what I'll remember Sabby by.
There are certain images that tend to stay with the reader because they carry an intense emotional appeal. For me, it was Sabby enduring 'the strap' because he wouldn't tell the Brother why he was at the wall. An intense home-sickness for a home which doesn't last forever, is what I'll remember Sabby by.
July 5, 2025
First book from India haul read! I bought this book from Kanpur Railway Station, from a peculiar shop with dim lighting. The railway had lost electricity and my train was delayed. To pass time, I stumbled upon this book store, a small shop hidden into the crevices of the busy train platform. I entered the store in search of some authentic Indian writing. My eyes caught the sight of a weird cover, with a faded green background and what apparently seemed to be blood stains on the corner. I picked the book from the shelves and felt the hard cover book ‘The Skinning Tree’. I found the title interesting, and I purchased the book soon after. I only read the book once I had arrived back in Australia, and only when my days were over, did I open the book late at night. The book circles the life of an only child living in his family home in Calcutta during the British occupation of India. He is sent away to a British boarding school settlement in North India as a means of evading the political tensions from WW2 by his rich and often uninvolved parents. The brutal imagery and grotesque descriptions provided by Srikumar Sen regarding the experiences of the boys boarding school are haunting and raw. Sen infuses this with a rich yet subtle commentary on the cultural erosion and glorification of the British in Anglo-Indian culture. My parents both studied at British settlements of convent schools, and as such, their stories of the religious indoctrination at their schools echoed throughout this novel. The plot is intriguing and the characters are very well developed. I did feel as though I would have liked a longer novel, with more exploration of the main characters life after his experiences at the boarding school. Overall, an unexpectedly good novel.
August 21, 2018
It gives an interesting insight into how Boarding Schools operated in the 40's. Corporal punishment is now shunned upon, however it was a part of growing up then. It is not that all the teachers were wrong, but this gives a child's view, very effectively. It is slightly difficult to imagine the exact descriptions of various activities, which the boy does, however these parts are few in number. Overall the book is very readable.
The experiences come out to be genuine, and there is a tone of sincerity in the voice.
I would recommend to read this book.
The experiences come out to be genuine, and there is a tone of sincerity in the voice.
I would recommend to read this book.
January 7, 2019
I DNFed this book at chapter 5. It was just too slow and not that interesting.
Read
August 18, 2019Violence begets violence
January 12, 2014
The autobiographical influence lends weight and credibility to the author's depictions of the experience of Sabby, a gentle 9year old boy from an affluent, cosmopolitan background in Calcutta. In the early 1940s he is sent to a boarding school in northern India, where he feels lonely and abandoned. The children are beaten by sadistic teachers, and gradually this treatment has a brutalising effect on him and his classmates. In a classic example of the defence of "identification with the aggressor" their casual cruelty towards innocent animals, and their their ever-escalating violence, become the norm as the boys struggle to feel more in control in this harsh environment.
In many respects I found this a captivating, if often disturbing novel. I thought that the writing style was evocative, that it powerfully depicted Sabby's confusion and his ambivalent feelings, and that it captured well the tensions and contradictions present when two very different cultures co-exist. I would have preferred not to have been subjected, in the first chapter, to the reflections of the adult Sabby because I felt that the subsequent development of his story was sufficient to allow me to reach similar conclusions. I much prefer a writing style which follows the maxim "show, don't tell"! At times the development of the story felt rather irritatingly ponderous - although occasionally this did have the effect of encouraging lots of reflection!
This is not a comfortable story to read but it certainly highlights the darker side of human nature and demonstrates that, for some children, childhood is not always a time of carefree innocence. I think it would be an excellent choice for reading goups because it raises so many issues for discussion and debate.
In many respects I found this a captivating, if often disturbing novel. I thought that the writing style was evocative, that it powerfully depicted Sabby's confusion and his ambivalent feelings, and that it captured well the tensions and contradictions present when two very different cultures co-exist. I would have preferred not to have been subjected, in the first chapter, to the reflections of the adult Sabby because I felt that the subsequent development of his story was sufficient to allow me to reach similar conclusions. I much prefer a writing style which follows the maxim "show, don't tell"! At times the development of the story felt rather irritatingly ponderous - although occasionally this did have the effect of encouraging lots of reflection!
This is not a comfortable story to read but it certainly highlights the darker side of human nature and demonstrates that, for some children, childhood is not always a time of carefree innocence. I think it would be an excellent choice for reading goups because it raises so many issues for discussion and debate.
October 23, 2013
Generally disappointed by award winning books (this won the 2012 Tibor Jones South Asia Prize and I can quite understand why) and concerned about the mention of the mindless killing of animals it was with some trepidation that I began reading The Skinning Tree.
However (and I hope I'm not giving too much away here), just like the 'draconian regime' and punishments meted out to the boys, this wasn't overly graphic and constituted such a small part of the novel that whilst undoubtedly harrowing I found tolerable.
Set in 1940's India, The Skinning Tree is the story of nine-year-old Sabby who, his parents fearing Japanese invasion, is uprooted from his 'Cal' (Calcutta) home only to be packed off to a remote boarding school run by English missionaries whose first rule seems to be 'spare the rod (in this instance a strap with an English penny tied to it to ensure maximum pain) and spoil the child'.
A debut novel with a largely autobiographical feel to it. Whilst I felt that Sabby's journey from a somewhat shy 'mammy's boy' to his loss of innocence, to his becoming inured to the violence around about him could have perhaps been better dealt with it was the 81 year old author's evocative descriptions of an Anglicised Indian life, of afternoon whist parties, of lengthy train journeys that will long remain with me.
Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of publishers, Alma Books, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
However (and I hope I'm not giving too much away here), just like the 'draconian regime' and punishments meted out to the boys, this wasn't overly graphic and constituted such a small part of the novel that whilst undoubtedly harrowing I found tolerable.
Set in 1940's India, The Skinning Tree is the story of nine-year-old Sabby who, his parents fearing Japanese invasion, is uprooted from his 'Cal' (Calcutta) home only to be packed off to a remote boarding school run by English missionaries whose first rule seems to be 'spare the rod (in this instance a strap with an English penny tied to it to ensure maximum pain) and spoil the child'.
A debut novel with a largely autobiographical feel to it. Whilst I felt that Sabby's journey from a somewhat shy 'mammy's boy' to his loss of innocence, to his becoming inured to the violence around about him could have perhaps been better dealt with it was the 81 year old author's evocative descriptions of an Anglicised Indian life, of afternoon whist parties, of lengthy train journeys that will long remain with me.
Copyright: Tracy Terry @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of publishers, Alma Books, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.
December 18, 2013
Review by Beth
The Skinning Tree is amongst the oddest books I’ve read all year. It seems to bring together two different styles of writing, where the majority of descriptions and third person narrative was wonderful but the dialogue fell a little short.
It’s set in 1940s India and tells the story if nine-year old Sabby who finds himself packed off to boarding school in Northern India. The scenes prior to him arriving at boarding school seem to drag but once he arrives there the novel becomes fascinating.
The teachers at Sabby’s school are stricter than he could ever have imagined as well as being abusive. This abuse is something the boys then transpose onto animals as they spend their spare time venting their frustrations by killing animals and hanging their skins out. The scenes are quite gruesome and it does feel weird to imagine boys so young carrying out such horrific acts and these scenes are amongst the best in the novel.
The other highlight of this novel comes in the descriptions of how British culture has influenced Indian life – they’re both smart and funny and gave me a chance to relate to a wholly unimaginable place and time.
The message of the novel is fascinating. It looks at the systems in place in India and how they create the abusers as well as the abused and it’s a fascinatingly different look at the idea that ‘what goes around comes around’. That’s if I haven’t missed the point entirely.
If it wasn’t for the jarring use of language and the dialogue not quite fitting with the rest of the novel at some points this would be one of my top reads.
The Skinning Tree is amongst the oddest books I’ve read all year. It seems to bring together two different styles of writing, where the majority of descriptions and third person narrative was wonderful but the dialogue fell a little short.
It’s set in 1940s India and tells the story if nine-year old Sabby who finds himself packed off to boarding school in Northern India. The scenes prior to him arriving at boarding school seem to drag but once he arrives there the novel becomes fascinating.
The teachers at Sabby’s school are stricter than he could ever have imagined as well as being abusive. This abuse is something the boys then transpose onto animals as they spend their spare time venting their frustrations by killing animals and hanging their skins out. The scenes are quite gruesome and it does feel weird to imagine boys so young carrying out such horrific acts and these scenes are amongst the best in the novel.
The other highlight of this novel comes in the descriptions of how British culture has influenced Indian life – they’re both smart and funny and gave me a chance to relate to a wholly unimaginable place and time.
The message of the novel is fascinating. It looks at the systems in place in India and how they create the abusers as well as the abused and it’s a fascinatingly different look at the idea that ‘what goes around comes around’. That’s if I haven’t missed the point entirely.
If it wasn’t for the jarring use of language and the dialogue not quite fitting with the rest of the novel at some points this would be one of my top reads.
November 27, 2013
Sen has a nice, unhurried writing style. He spends a long time on descriptions which, normally, I would hate but he does such a bang up job that I really didn’t mind his taking a hundred pages to say what he could have summarised in two or three. It was the fact that after setting the pace he then bolts towards the finish line: Sabby becomes one of the boys, they indulge in a bit of animal cruelty, they leave a nun to her fate and the next thing you know the school term’s over and Sabby has talked his parents into not sending him back. Why the rush? While it’s true that after Piggy’s death in Lord of the Flies and Neil’s death in Dead Poets Society things do get wrapped up fairly quickly, this felt especially hurried.
The bulk of the story is told in the third person but it is bookended by two short chapters where we hear a grownup Sabby offer his perspective. I think maybe too much is said here, especially in the opening section, because he draws conclusions before we get a chance to hear the evidence and, although he has good points to make, I think they would’ve been better held onto until afterwards or maybe left out completely. Such didacticism is unnecessary when a book is well-written which this one is. We’re adults; we can think for ourselves; we get the point; you don’t need to spell it out for us.
Read my full review on my blog here.
The bulk of the story is told in the third person but it is bookended by two short chapters where we hear a grownup Sabby offer his perspective. I think maybe too much is said here, especially in the opening section, because he draws conclusions before we get a chance to hear the evidence and, although he has good points to make, I think they would’ve been better held onto until afterwards or maybe left out completely. Such didacticism is unnecessary when a book is well-written which this one is. We’re adults; we can think for ourselves; we get the point; you don’t need to spell it out for us.
Read my full review on my blog here.
March 20, 2015
An overactive imagination of a young boy that learns to ignore the perils and poverty of Calcutta during the British Raj. But, the book does not stay there it moves to the school in the Hills, run by Brothers, who to teach subjects and behavior use the rod frequently and harshly. The result of this fear is tragic but you don't know who to feel sorry for: young Sabby and his friends or the adults who run the school.
The Skinning Tree starts slowly but picks up after Sabby's entry into hostel life. The life is detailed, every hosteler will empathise with the setting but may not agree with the extremes. The harshness and hatred that is reflected in simple actions such as the capturing and squashing of flies may leave you overwhelmed.
The Skinning Tree starts slowly but picks up after Sabby's entry into hostel life. The life is detailed, every hosteler will empathise with the setting but may not agree with the extremes. The harshness and hatred that is reflected in simple actions such as the capturing and squashing of flies may leave you overwhelmed.
January 25, 2021
Written about the historical period in India, mainly Calcutta and Gaddi, The Skinning Tree revives memories of the past, 1940s. It showcases the life of educated, affluent Bengali families, who were closely associated with the British. It tells you about, how, these families needed to keep up with the Jones by ensuring their children went to schools run by the British, although they ensured their own children went to schools, exclusively meant for them. And most importantly, it opens up, perhaps for the first time, the Pandora’s Box, on what went on in these all-boys boarding schools where Indians from affluent backgrounds sent their boys and how they coped with it.
June 8, 2014
With the threat of the Japanese advance on India during the 11 World War, a nine year old Indian boy is sent away to boarding school. He leaves his family and his beloved Calcutta, for the strict and confined regime of his new school.
The life he becomes immersed in to survive at his brutal boarding school irreversibly changes him, and innocence is lost.
There are some wonderful descriptions of India and Anglo/English life of that era, but overall the book failed to engage me and I gave it a speed read.
The life he becomes immersed in to survive at his brutal boarding school irreversibly changes him, and innocence is lost.
There are some wonderful descriptions of India and Anglo/English life of that era, but overall the book failed to engage me and I gave it a speed read.
September 6, 2013
Nothing short of beautiful and is highly recommended for those who love Indian English literature. Feels great to have got this in a giveaway. A simple way of story telling, nevertheless Mr.Sen has succeeded in portraying the emotions and feelings of characters to a supreme finish.Undoubtedly, the work bears the unmistakable stamp of a great author.
August 12, 2013
Was nearly going to give up on this book two- thirds the way through but glad I persevered. The main character, Sabby, might have held my attention better if the author had kept it in first person narration instead of moving over to third in the second chapter. However, the climax was worth waiting for.
March 6, 2016
Beautiful and heartbreaking. What a stunning novel. A little cumbersome at times (writing style) but the sentiment and emotion, and the evocation of India, were unforgettable. Highly recommended.
I received this book as a Good Reads First Reads Giveaway.
I received this book as a Good Reads First Reads Giveaway.
October 27, 2015
Thanks Goodreads for my copy of The Skinning Tree. I wish I could give this book a higher rating but I can't. It says it won some awards but I'm not sure it is made for an American audience in 2015.
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December 7, 2015this was a goodreads free giveaway. an interesting read. i enjoyed the book, but had to keep going to goggle to figure out some of the words
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