Rufus;

by Catherine Storr

Rufus

128 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Author Catherine Storr was educated at St. Paul's Girls' School and went on to study English at Newnham College, Cambridge. She then went to medical school and worked part-time as a Senior Medical Officer in the Department of Psychological Medicine of the Middlesex Hospital from 1950 to 1963.

Her first book was published in 1940, but was not successful. It was not until the 1950s that her books became popular. She wrote mostly children's books as well as books for adults, plays, short stories, and adapted one of her novels into an opera libretto. She published more than 30 children's books, but is best known for Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf and Marianne Dreams, which was made into a television series and a film.

Reviews

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I feel about this book, except that I found it extremely sad. Rufus and his older sister Rachel are orphans living in an English children's home. He feels incredibly lonely and isolated from others, and longs more than anything to have parents and a real home to belong to. The story gets strange when Rufus starts dreaming about an alternate life as a boy in a prehistoric tribal village, where he feels wanted and needed. When his teacher at school brings an ancient knife to class, Rufus finds that touching the knife triggers a return to that dream existence. The reader is left to wonder if he is really time traveling in his mind or if he is escaping into a fantasy world to avoid his problems in the present. Whichever the case, in the end, present-day Rufus learns something from his prehistoric existence that helps him to cope with his troubles.

I liked the writing and the characters and even the odd plot, but was overwhelmed with the sadness of Rufus' situation. I probably shouldn't have read it when I was feeling kinda down myself! I'd really like to know if other readers find it as depressing as I did. Recommended?

[Heather Tribe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rufus is a story about a boy who, orphaned along with his sister, is left behind at the orphanage when his sister finds herself adopted by a loving family who does not adopt him. He is then bullied by another boy and finds himself in a situation he feels he cannot escape from, until he is introduced to an ancient magic knife which transports his conscience to a time long ago. It is a coming-of-age story, and it is wonderful. I think the reason it is not well known is because it might’ve had a difficult time finding an audience. It has magic, but is too “old” for youngsters, and is too “young” for the older kids. It is a pity as it is an honest representation of the process in which bullies come into power over other kids, and I found it enlightening to have that experience through Rufus’s thoughts and meanderings. It is not a fast-paced read, but still I could not put it down.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved her better-known book, Marianne Dreams (also called The Magic Drawing Pencil) when I was young, though also found it disturbing. I stumbled on Rufus in an Oxfam shop in the UK, and thought it looked interesting. It’s a compelling read, and reminds me of Marianne Dreams in its use of the character’s dream life. This book is disturbing too, in that it doesn't sugar-coat the pain of not belonging, as Rufus loses both parents when he is young.

It is a coming of age story that is unusual, and I liked the message of learning to parent yourself (not an easy task). It also deals with bullying (I'm not crazy about the message that violence is the way to combat that challenge...).

In looking up Catherine Storr I discovered she trained as a doctor when it must have been challenging for women (she was born in 1913). “She began practicing as a psychiatrist in 1944 and worked at Middlesex Hospital in the 1950s and ’60s before becoming an editor at Penguin in 1966.” It makes sense that she had psychological training, given how she approaches her characters' stories.

[Lizzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very strange, not at all what I expected. I am going to keep this one and read it again when I've forgotten.