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The War Zone
A shocking novel of adolescent anger and social disorder. Dragged from the influences he so enjoyed in London, a young boy spies on his sister and father sharing an intimate bath. As his obsession with their relationship grows, so does the need to end it in whatever manner necessary.
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First published January 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 30, 2016
Viciously snarlingly howlingly apocalyptically narrated by Tom who’s about 15 or so, this is a story of father daughter incest. First he suspects, then he snoops, then he badgers a confession out of his sister, her being Jessie, who’s around 18 I guess. The story moves forward in a series of perhaps six set-piece scenes, some of which work perfectly well, and one of which puts the reader in a position where they are trying to figure out who’s actually doing what to who and if so how (a sex scene featuring Tom, Jessie and a black female friend of Jessie – box tick time!) and wondering if they should be laughing or drawing a diagram on a flip chart (oh wait, I get it, she swings her leg over and kind of pivots so now she’s above his face – of course, it’s obvious, it’s a simple enough maneuver, why do I find it so difficult to envisage these sex scenes?). In each of these long scenes, after every action or line of dialogue Tom gets to spit feathers and fulminate for a page or so, then we get another line of dialogue or another action. It’s a slo-mo effect and it eventually got on my wick. You know, like, do it once or twice, but every time?
CORE SAMPLE
I will give you a random sampling of Tom’s saturnine 15 year old punky I-hate-the-world-and-the-world-hates-me rantings, jumping in at page 117
In London there’s always someone walking the street, a thug, a partygoer, some poor homeless sod whose like is now a can of Carlsberg, a filthy coat over his face and his hands down his pants trying to scratch away the lice.
P128
I sit in my bedroom with the lights turned out and the window open and for once I can hear the sea and I wonder if I could do it, if I could just get a gun and open fire indiscriminately and then wonder why I don’t
I can taste the metal in my mouth. Everything’s metallic. The fields are liquid gold, even the sheep, but it’s not a pretty colour, it’s not like one of those shitty commercials where everything has the same quality, where cow crap would look as glorious as a steaming plate of instant anything. My body is wrecking itself, moulding itself into the twisted shapes cars make when they run under a lorry.
P 142
I could do on – Tom surely does, he never shuts up and he never lightens up. Is this a convincing 15 year old smartarse nihilist voice? (Wags head, casts eyes from side to side, thrusts hands out palms upwards) – well, mmmmmmmaybeeeeeee. It’s all a bit writerly.
Anyhow, this was rather a painful read, to be filed next to Ian Banks’ also fairly bonkers The Wasp Factory (1984 – this one is 1989). Can’t really say I recommend it. It was well icky. I need a shower, and not one of those kind. Eww. 2.5 stars.
CORE SAMPLE
I will give you a random sampling of Tom’s saturnine 15 year old punky I-hate-the-world-and-the-world-hates-me rantings, jumping in at page 117
In London there’s always someone walking the street, a thug, a partygoer, some poor homeless sod whose like is now a can of Carlsberg, a filthy coat over his face and his hands down his pants trying to scratch away the lice.
P128
I sit in my bedroom with the lights turned out and the window open and for once I can hear the sea and I wonder if I could do it, if I could just get a gun and open fire indiscriminately and then wonder why I don’t
I can taste the metal in my mouth. Everything’s metallic. The fields are liquid gold, even the sheep, but it’s not a pretty colour, it’s not like one of those shitty commercials where everything has the same quality, where cow crap would look as glorious as a steaming plate of instant anything. My body is wrecking itself, moulding itself into the twisted shapes cars make when they run under a lorry.
P 142
I could do on – Tom surely does, he never shuts up and he never lightens up. Is this a convincing 15 year old smartarse nihilist voice? (Wags head, casts eyes from side to side, thrusts hands out palms upwards) – well, mmmmmmmaybeeeeeee. It’s all a bit writerly.
Anyhow, this was rather a painful read, to be filed next to Ian Banks’ also fairly bonkers The Wasp Factory (1984 – this one is 1989). Can’t really say I recommend it. It was well icky. I need a shower, and not one of those kind. Eww. 2.5 stars.
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July 26, 2013I wrote it, so I think my opinion may be a little biased.
Many thanks to Claire, Omar and Harlan, who liked these few words regarding my opinion. I am equally fascinated by the passionate dislike of the book by some readers. No one has ever written to me criticizing the book over the years, or told me that they hated it to my face, so it is enlightening to read different responses.
Whether you liked it or not, I thank you for reading it - even if you wish you hadn't!
UPDATE:
I just came upon this page by chance again - in a search for something else - and I am beyond thrilled to see that The War Zone is grouped with A Clockwork Orange, Lord of the Flies, American Psycho and A Child Called "It" (the only book in the group I haven't read) in Lists. I could not ask for better company. Alex and his Droogs, Piggy and Patrick Bateman all say hello.
Many thanks to Claire, Omar and Harlan, who liked these few words regarding my opinion. I am equally fascinated by the passionate dislike of the book by some readers. No one has ever written to me criticizing the book over the years, or told me that they hated it to my face, so it is enlightening to read different responses.
Whether you liked it or not, I thank you for reading it - even if you wish you hadn't!
UPDATE:
I just came upon this page by chance again - in a search for something else - and I am beyond thrilled to see that The War Zone is grouped with A Clockwork Orange, Lord of the Flies, American Psycho and A Child Called "It" (the only book in the group I haven't read) in Lists. I could not ask for better company. Alex and his Droogs, Piggy and Patrick Bateman all say hello.
July 31, 2016
I read this a few months ago, but forgot to review it. I just saw it on my kindle and remembered how awful it was. To be clear: this is INCEST EROTICA. I wish I would've known that going into it, but the blurb doesn't portray it that way.
There was incest in my own family. It's the most horrible thing that can possibly happen to anyone, worse than losing a loved one through death. It is emotionally damaging to people for generations after it occurs, handing down dysfunction like genes. I thought this book would be a serious one in how it handled such a heavy topic, but it's a sick male fantasy.
I'm about to give SPOILERS, so stop now:
Basically, this 15-year-old boy catches his just-turning-18 sister having oral and anal sex with their father. He confronts her, and she says she loves it. She doesn't stop, even though their parents are still married and have a newborn baby.
The son for some reason has this fantasy of murdering his sister and father, and it's all he talks about. He doesn't care at all about his mom or the new baby. He is personally offended by what's going on, and he thinks killing them will make him feel better. (I know, it makes no sense at all).
Then his sister drags him along to her lesbian lover's place, and they start having a threesome, and the lesbian pisses all over him. Then they cover his face, and it's clear to me that he is getting fucked by his sister even though he thinks it's the lesbian riding him.
Later, his sister is begging their father to have sex with her and impregnate her, and leave their mother for her, so he stabs his father and blows up his building (his father's an architect). His father doesn't die. His mom finds out everything, and nobody speaks to one another anymore, but he uses his father's money to go visit his sister.
She tries to orchestrate another threesome. She cuts him with a knife, he tries to rape her. She's all "Surprise! We've done it before, haha! Now put a baby in me!" And he's very happy to oblige, because he's in love with his sister.
It's maybe the worst book I've ever read, worse than VC Andrews' sequels to Flowers in the Attic. The sad thing is, the author doesn't know it's trash. This is supposed to be transgressive literary fiction. That's how they are trying to market it. And look, there's definitely an audience for this type of erotica, which portrays incest positively. But why not warn people that's what this is? I kept waiting for some twist at the end, to find out the father was emotionally blackmailing the daughter somehow. Nope. It's just smut.
There was incest in my own family. It's the most horrible thing that can possibly happen to anyone, worse than losing a loved one through death. It is emotionally damaging to people for generations after it occurs, handing down dysfunction like genes. I thought this book would be a serious one in how it handled such a heavy topic, but it's a sick male fantasy.
I'm about to give SPOILERS, so stop now:
Basically, this 15-year-old boy catches his just-turning-18 sister having oral and anal sex with their father. He confronts her, and she says she loves it. She doesn't stop, even though their parents are still married and have a newborn baby.
The son for some reason has this fantasy of murdering his sister and father, and it's all he talks about. He doesn't care at all about his mom or the new baby. He is personally offended by what's going on, and he thinks killing them will make him feel better. (I know, it makes no sense at all).
Then his sister drags him along to her lesbian lover's place, and they start having a threesome, and the lesbian pisses all over him. Then they cover his face, and it's clear to me that he is getting fucked by his sister even though he thinks it's the lesbian riding him.
Later, his sister is begging their father to have sex with her and impregnate her, and leave their mother for her, so he stabs his father and blows up his building (his father's an architect). His father doesn't die. His mom finds out everything, and nobody speaks to one another anymore, but he uses his father's money to go visit his sister.
She tries to orchestrate another threesome. She cuts him with a knife, he tries to rape her. She's all "Surprise! We've done it before, haha! Now put a baby in me!" And he's very happy to oblige, because he's in love with his sister.
It's maybe the worst book I've ever read, worse than VC Andrews' sequels to Flowers in the Attic. The sad thing is, the author doesn't know it's trash. This is supposed to be transgressive literary fiction. That's how they are trying to market it. And look, there's definitely an audience for this type of erotica, which portrays incest positively. But why not warn people that's what this is? I kept waiting for some twist at the end, to find out the father was emotionally blackmailing the daughter somehow. Nope. It's just smut.
January 12, 2010
not for the faint-hearted. like an accident - hard to look at and hard to ignore. a slim volume that's difficult to get through, at points. basis for the film, which is just as difficult/compelling to watch, if not more so.
August 22, 2024
Rewatched the movie after reading the book.
Phew, this is some cynical and heavy stuff. Really good book. It’s a fairly obscure book that I was shocked to see on the shelf of a Eugene bookstore last year, and I just got around to reading it now.
The book does a good job of going inside of this kid’s head, even drawing comparisons to The Catcher in the Rye from critics. People who’ve only seen the movie won’t believe it, but the book actually goes into even weirder and darker territory than the movie. I’ll just say that it explores the dynamic between the brother and the sister more deeply, which includes an epilogue that gave me absolute chills on the very last line of the book.
Interestingly, though, I think the movie actually benefits from leaving some of that stuff out and keeping the ending more open-ended. The movie feels slightly more grounded in realism, while still featuring one of the most extremely disturbing and upsetting scenes ever put to fictional film.
The mere existence of this movie is fascinating in itself, being the lone directorial feature from veteran actor Tim Roth. There are some wild trivia facts, such as an audience member throwing a tantrum at the premiere and having to be escorted out by Roth. Apparently the guy was so upset that he shouted during the movie that he couldn’t take any more, and he tried to pull the fire alarm. And it took “20 minutes of intense conversation” for Roth to calm him down.
Ray Winstone also had trouble filming the infamous scene, and was apparently so distraught that he cursed out Roth on set and nearly left the production. It’s amazing that this movie even got made.
I had forgotten just how good this movie’s score was, too, adding this overlay of despair and hopelessness on top of it. Reading the book, I felt like the characters maybe had a little more personality on the page — especially Jessie, along with Tom’s inner monologue — but after rewatching the movie, I remembered how scarily good the performances are, so I think both mediums succeed in characterization.
Such a sad and quiet performance from completely unknown actor Freddie Cunliffe. Wonder what he’s up to these days. Hasn’t acted in anything since 2008. It’s interesting to see an early-20s Colin Farrell in a really small role in this too. Fascinating that, among the young actors in this movie, he went on to have by far the most successful career. Never would have predicted it if I’d seen this movie in 1999.
Farrell’s character does have a little bit more of a role in the book. Another random change is that the newborn baby is a boy in the book and a girl in the movie. Even more interesting is the fact that the book’s author, Alexander Stuart, wrote the screenplay all by himself. So he was actually the one calling the shots on the movie’s changes. Both versions are great, but the movie left me with an even emptier and sadder feeling, while the book started to border on being too over-the-top to be believable.
According to IMDb, Stuart wrote this book after his son was diagnosed with cancer, and he channeled his anger into the writing of the book. It definitely shows.
Great setting, too, in Devon, England. The book was written in a very British-sounding way. The book made the location sound sunnier and nicer though, while the movie’s location looked gloomy and cold — which makes it even more depressing. It makes for some cool wide shots.
My next book is the new Clayton Kershaw biography, which should be a much more light-hearted read and something I can enjoyably sprint through. After that, I’m planning to read David Foster Wallace’s 1,000+ page Infinite Jest, which is a daunting challenge that I’m up for.
Phew, this is some cynical and heavy stuff. Really good book. It’s a fairly obscure book that I was shocked to see on the shelf of a Eugene bookstore last year, and I just got around to reading it now.
The book does a good job of going inside of this kid’s head, even drawing comparisons to The Catcher in the Rye from critics. People who’ve only seen the movie won’t believe it, but the book actually goes into even weirder and darker territory than the movie. I’ll just say that it explores the dynamic between the brother and the sister more deeply, which includes an epilogue that gave me absolute chills on the very last line of the book.
Interestingly, though, I think the movie actually benefits from leaving some of that stuff out and keeping the ending more open-ended. The movie feels slightly more grounded in realism, while still featuring one of the most extremely disturbing and upsetting scenes ever put to fictional film.
The mere existence of this movie is fascinating in itself, being the lone directorial feature from veteran actor Tim Roth. There are some wild trivia facts, such as an audience member throwing a tantrum at the premiere and having to be escorted out by Roth. Apparently the guy was so upset that he shouted during the movie that he couldn’t take any more, and he tried to pull the fire alarm. And it took “20 minutes of intense conversation” for Roth to calm him down.
Ray Winstone also had trouble filming the infamous scene, and was apparently so distraught that he cursed out Roth on set and nearly left the production. It’s amazing that this movie even got made.
I had forgotten just how good this movie’s score was, too, adding this overlay of despair and hopelessness on top of it. Reading the book, I felt like the characters maybe had a little more personality on the page — especially Jessie, along with Tom’s inner monologue — but after rewatching the movie, I remembered how scarily good the performances are, so I think both mediums succeed in characterization.
Such a sad and quiet performance from completely unknown actor Freddie Cunliffe. Wonder what he’s up to these days. Hasn’t acted in anything since 2008. It’s interesting to see an early-20s Colin Farrell in a really small role in this too. Fascinating that, among the young actors in this movie, he went on to have by far the most successful career. Never would have predicted it if I’d seen this movie in 1999.
Farrell’s character does have a little bit more of a role in the book. Another random change is that the newborn baby is a boy in the book and a girl in the movie. Even more interesting is the fact that the book’s author, Alexander Stuart, wrote the screenplay all by himself. So he was actually the one calling the shots on the movie’s changes. Both versions are great, but the movie left me with an even emptier and sadder feeling, while the book started to border on being too over-the-top to be believable.
According to IMDb, Stuart wrote this book after his son was diagnosed with cancer, and he channeled his anger into the writing of the book. It definitely shows.
Great setting, too, in Devon, England. The book was written in a very British-sounding way. The book made the location sound sunnier and nicer though, while the movie’s location looked gloomy and cold — which makes it even more depressing. It makes for some cool wide shots.
My next book is the new Clayton Kershaw biography, which should be a much more light-hearted read and something I can enjoyably sprint through. After that, I’m planning to read David Foster Wallace’s 1,000+ page Infinite Jest, which is a daunting challenge that I’m up for.
October 20, 2008
Haunting, disturbing novel about a teenage boy's obsession with his older sister after he discovers she is having an incestuous relationship with their father. Well written, set in England, and scenes of graphic sex.
July 21, 2008
The climax was over the top, and the dénouement was foolish; but otherwise, this was a really well written book. Heavy in ways you don't expect, and moments of clear beauty.
August 19, 2020
A very disturbing, shocking and provoking novel. The suspense is at its heights, and reactions and attitudes of characters are unexpected. What a mind-blowing story.
January 1, 2014
a Masterpiece, a must read (and must see, movie directed by Tim Roth).
Grateful eternely for the wz, grateful eternely to each person who worked for the book and for the movie. Its amazing the impact of the WZ even after more than 20yrs the book has been written, that every day several of us Survivors support each other to fight against our dark passenger to not let him control our life.
Abuses happen more often than people could imagine. Here the last image of the movie, perfect to represent it: the bunker is in the landscape its not in front of our eyes but if we turn a bit the head/eyes its visible, as the abuses in our society, its not in front of peeps 'eyes but just by looking around it's here, more often than people could imagine.
http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...
The wz shown us the Survivor's way and gave us the keys to Survive and made crossed (still) the ways of many Survivors, grateful for each person more than Friends who are Survivors too, my way crossed with, a precious community and a comfort to not feel alone in that fight to Survive.
Last month the wz movie has been shown at Festival Lumiere (Honour award given to Tarantino for info), a famous Cinema Festival here in Fr. The movie was presented at the festival by Tim Roth himself, even years after the book and movie both still have impact. A deep thank to Alexander Stuart and Tim Roth and Each person all the team behind the book and movie to have found the strength and courage to make the wz, they both can be proud of them, grateful with all my heart and eternely.
take care all.
Grateful eternely for the wz, grateful eternely to each person who worked for the book and for the movie. Its amazing the impact of the WZ even after more than 20yrs the book has been written, that every day several of us Survivors support each other to fight against our dark passenger to not let him control our life.
Abuses happen more often than people could imagine. Here the last image of the movie, perfect to represent it: the bunker is in the landscape its not in front of our eyes but if we turn a bit the head/eyes its visible, as the abuses in our society, its not in front of peeps 'eyes but just by looking around it's here, more often than people could imagine.
http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos...
The wz shown us the Survivor's way and gave us the keys to Survive and made crossed (still) the ways of many Survivors, grateful for each person more than Friends who are Survivors too, my way crossed with, a precious community and a comfort to not feel alone in that fight to Survive.
Last month the wz movie has been shown at Festival Lumiere (Honour award given to Tarantino for info), a famous Cinema Festival here in Fr. The movie was presented at the festival by Tim Roth himself, even years after the book and movie both still have impact. A deep thank to Alexander Stuart and Tim Roth and Each person all the team behind the book and movie to have found the strength and courage to make the wz, they both can be proud of them, grateful with all my heart and eternely.
take care all.
April 6, 2018
Amazing language and style. I just want to read and read. But the story is so horrific, so strong that I have to skip substantial sections. This is too much. And, yet, so is life for some so maybe I should keep reading? I love it for the fluidity of the language, for the complexity of feelings for a teenage boy who is psychologically mistreated and has to carry a too heavy burden on his shoulders, for the portrayal of evil in the least likely of people. It is brilliantly described that the ones you love and whom you have believed love you, in fact do not care at all, do nit care for anything but themselves. Of course, this description is exagerated and not realistic, but rather poetic in its colorful dystopia. And at the same time I wish I had never read it for the way it does not have any limits, for the way the sex scenes are so over the top they only seem ridiculous in context of the dark story, for Jessie's constant willingness that would be understandable if she was a victim only but not when she is one of the instigators, and above all for the tasteless final section of the book. That ending gives a quite different reading of the entire book and I find myself wondering what the author wanted to accomplish. Does the ending tell us that once you have been damaged by cruelty there is no way out?
August 29, 2008
This book was horrible. I got it from a friend who didn't finish it, and now I know why. I read about half, skimmed the rest, stopped and read when I saw somebody was getting peed on, decided I could have lived the rest of my life quite nicely NOT having read that, and then fast forwarded to the end. I'm sure I missed a lot of plot by not reading the last half, but at least my soul didn't suffer. The writing is slow, plodding, methodical, and doesn't sound or feel like the voice of a troubled adolescent, full of rage, or even ambivalence. The sex is vulgar and coarse, but when it gets to the actual sexual material, there's no processing of feelings or sensations; perhaps that is the only part that seems like it could come from a teenage boy. I've read a lot of repulsive or vulgar material that was fascinating, like, "Ecstasy" and "Fox Girl." This book simply didn't interest me on any level.
May 3, 2019
Not a bad book, whilst i wouldn't say it makes light of the subject matter, in my opinion, the movie somehow seems a lot darker.
I enjoyed the novel, but it is almost a love triangle between dad, daughter and son, the two men being infactuated with jessie (who seems to revel in this)
The movie, from what i remember, comes across more as an incestuous father abusing his daughter who is deeply affected by this and her brother trying to put the pieces together and protect his sister, i feel they both are well told stories, but the movie seems a lot darker and more realistic to the horrors that can happen behind closed doors, whereas the book seems somewhat fantastical at times.
I enjoyed the novel, but it is almost a love triangle between dad, daughter and son, the two men being infactuated with jessie (who seems to revel in this)
The movie, from what i remember, comes across more as an incestuous father abusing his daughter who is deeply affected by this and her brother trying to put the pieces together and protect his sister, i feel they both are well told stories, but the movie seems a lot darker and more realistic to the horrors that can happen behind closed doors, whereas the book seems somewhat fantastical at times.
July 21, 2010
I have read this so many times. The protagonist is the same age as me and the setting and time period is recognisable in a way that Holden Caulfield never could be. I haven't experienced the events though, I'm an only child!
January 25, 2012
well this was a barrel of laughs - recommended though
April 28, 2012
Fascinating story. I centred my dissertation on this gripping novel.
May 5, 2019
I don't even know what to say. I've started this book with my best intentions because I thought it was a lucid and objective insight of incest. I wanted to understand more, but all I found was a fifteen years old's wet dream. The end was absolutely disgusting, I'm sorry. I usually appreciate this kind of books, I appreciate authors who speak out loud about controversial issues. Moreover, the writing was incomprehensible at times, but I do give it the benefit of the doubt since it could be because of the translation. Yeah, that's pretty much it.
November 8, 2020
I was so disturbed by this (particularly after halfway through) that I had to have a really hot shower after reading it and clean the memory off. Really well written but I'd never read it again. 4 stars only because it gave me anxiety palpitations : it probably deserves 5 but escapism shouldn't be this painful 😅
October 17, 2020
Dark but extremelly well written !
May 12, 2023
A disturbing story that is superbly written. Although shocking in its portrayal of a broken family, the impact of the language is remarkable.
December 10, 2024
I'm speechless. This was an amazing read. If given the chance, you'll get a transformative experience. Mind you is not for the faint-hearted.
May 14, 2014
Not for the faint-hearted.
I'm drawn by the writing, repulsed by the plot. As a subject, I think there's little uglier than incest, but the writing of The War Zone made it interesting.
At the end of it though, I still don't get what motivated Jessie. Is she just a regular sociopath/psychopath/narcissist (clearly I don't know any psychology), doing outrageous things to amuse herself, see how far she can push the boundaries?
I'm drawn by the writing, repulsed by the plot. As a subject, I think there's little uglier than incest, but the writing of The War Zone made it interesting.
At the end of it though, I still don't get what motivated Jessie. Is she just a regular sociopath/psychopath/narcissist (clearly I don't know any psychology), doing outrageous things to amuse herself, see how far she can push the boundaries?
June 15, 2016
1992 notebook: (SPOILER ALERT) compelling, provoking, nasty. Doing people in, hurting them, twisting under a chemical sky, a bedroom in Brixton. The writing is florid, appropriately, but I feel when it gets to London it goes over, and at the climax involving stabbing his dad, his sister living with an elderly Nazi architect and his mistress, I think, no.
June 8, 2016
I don't typically write reviews, unless truly moved to. I read this several years ago, when it first came out int the UK. It haunted me for years, and still does sometimes. Dark, but extremely well written.
January 11, 2017
terrible, cringey rubbish; a classic of the embarrassingly thinly-veiled wank-fantasy genre. skip it and watch the film instead, which manages to tell a compelling story of incest without making the victim into a porny temptress.
March 24, 2008
Crazy shit!!!
Read
April 8, 2013Finiti
September 12, 2017
Hard-hitting and illustrates very well human emotions.
May 20, 2015
This book was really haunting and disturbing. It was sort of difficult to get through the book. It was gruesome at many points in the book.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews