The Wicker King

Wowie, wowie, this book was a trip. Unfortunately I don’t mean that in the wow-what-a-fantastic-new-Miyazaki-movie-way because let’s be real, all of Hayao Miyazaki’s movies are a mind reel and anyone who actually understood all the intricacies of Spirited Away the first time they watched it is a bloody liar.

That being said, The Wicker King is a fairly new publish by unknown author K. Ancrum that brings you the story of two very sad young men and their battle with negligence and mental health amongst a slew of other issues.

This was one of those books where nothing has been written about it and is largely ignored on every major social media platform.

It’s hard to say why some books such as The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue seem like they have daily advertisements on Tumblr and Goodreads, while other books like this one are as noticeable as my Harry Potter fan fiction from 10 years ago. That being none at all.

I happened to stumble across this black little book on the shelves at Barnes & Noble over the holiday highdays on complete accident. Every few months I scour the shelves for anything and everything that captures my limited attention when it comes to young adult literature and this little beauty popped up for two reasons: the color of the pages and the synopsized fable of two tragically intertwined best friends.

Male best friends. Immediate zinger right there.

Unfortunately, good LGBTQ+ young adult literature is still highly limited and those that do exist are saturated with stereotypes and one dimensional characters flat enough to slip under a doorway.

So, when a story so much as whispers about two best friends of the same gender needing each other and strongly hinting at not-so platonic feelings I am going to pick it up and I am going to read it.

Enough said.

However, that does not always mean I enjoy them (ie. The Love Interest by Cale Dietrich was an absolute train wreck). In the case of The Wicker King, I enjoyed some aspects of the story but found myself more disturbed at the end then hopeful. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty then.

Step one: the characters. It took me almost 20 pages to be able to differentiate between Jack and August, our two main protagonists. Although they're both described on the inside jacket as a pyromaniac and a golden sports boy respectively, it was difficult to figure out which one was which.

And although Ancrum made it quite clear that the two boys are in two completely different social circles and don’t interact at school because it would confuse people, she yet starts doing that exact same thing almost immediately with no consequences or thoughts outside of a few petty comments. 

As for the characters themselves I liked them. Jack seemed a little off kilter for reasons I won’t give out in fear of spoilers, but I did end up liking August despite everything. Ancrum also portrays some interesting female characters who seem tough and mean. Mean female characters are always fascinating to me (Blair Waldorf for the win anyone?)

Step two: the writing itself was staged and written chronically but in a way that delivered almost as snapshots. Ancrum didn’t so much have chapters as she did little sneak peeks into Jack and August’s lives.

Each “chapter” was maybe a page to three pages before it would end. It was an interesting way to read in that it felt like you weren’t getting the whole picture but instead little peepholes that kept you guessing. 

If this sounds like a turn off, don’t let it be. The way in which the scenes played out was smooth and cohesive, it was actually quite refreshing to read something that wasn’t an uber long chapter. It was easy to be sucked in and say, “okay, just one more, one more.” Just like me when I’m eating Cheetos.

Step three: graphics and coloring. In this aspect The Wicker King gets a 10/10. Ancrum was incredibly creative in a way that I found deeply impressive. The pages start off cream with black text as is pedantic for almost all novels.

However, her pages slowly start to change from white with black text to completely black pages with white text. The transition follows the seamless progression of the plot: as the story gets darker so do the pages. The idea is so simple, and yet I’ve never seen it done before. Kudos to you Ms. Ancrum. 

There is also something strangely satisfying about seeing the pages darken in front of your eyes as the main characters start to hallucinate more and lead to events like drowning and catching fire.

In addition, Ancrum also includes little snippets of digital media that are scattered across the pages systematically: a brain scan here, a Police report there, a photograph, or a torn page of a notebook. I liked how they added to the story and filled in some holes left out by the snapshot writing process.  

So you might be wondering, wow, this book sounds super creative and impressive, what’s wrong with it? That leads me to step four.

Step four: it was sad. Not in a Fault in Our Stars way sad, but sad in a way that leaves you cringing and looking for comfort food. The Wicker King is disturbing in its realistic portrayal of child abuse, neglected mental health, poverty, and just full blown ignorance.

It’s frustrating to know that if Person A had just stepped in here or if Person B had actually paid attention, Jack and August could have had much better, healthier, happier lives. Alas, that doesn’t happen. 

Sometimes I like reading about sad things in real life-like serial killer cases or child abduction or listening to any news station honestly. However, those instances are few and far between. Personally, reading is an escape from life that can sometimes be too harsh and unforgiving and so when I have to escape from my escape, it’s always a despairing occurrence.

I realize that this is not the case for everyone. If you like to read about forlorn and melancholic characters, this is definitely a novel that might intrigue you. K. Ancrum personally wrote characters like Jack and August to relate to other kids who have lived the same dismal existence.  If the rest of you are like me, you might be better off skipping over this one.

Recommendation: Unless you feast on the woebegone, love being inconsolable, or are studying pictorial representation and graphics in literature, The Wicker King is best left as an unknown book on the shelves that you always notice but have no interest in picking up unless you feel like sobbing.

Score: 6/10