One Boy and His Hawk

Book Six
A Kestrel for a Knave - Barry Hines (1968)

Fifteen-year-old Billy Casper's lot in life is not a happy one.  Neglected by his mother, abandoned by his father, bullied by his brother and singled out for ridicule by his teachers, his only joy in life is his trained kestrel, Kes.  It is only through Kes, and through talking about her, that Billy's true potential really shines through.

Hines captures perfectly the rhythm and nuances of natural dialogue between his well-drawn characters.  Sometimes writing dialect out phonetically can interrupt the flow of the reader, but here it works well, and I ended up reading the majority of the book with a Yorkshire accent in my head.  Hines also gives wonderful descriptions of the natural world and the streets of the unnamed northern city that Billy inhabits.  Readers will find themselves stepping back into 1968 from the moment they pick the book up.

A Kestrel for a Knave has often been described as a coming-of-age story, which seems strange considering that the events of the novel span only one day (with the addition of a few flashbacks).  However, it is written with such attention to detail that it sometimes feels as though we are living the day alongside Billy, experiencing the highs and lows of his exhausting daily existence, from his early morning paper round to his bullying P.E. teacher.  It's an eventful day, but we are given to understand that most days in Billy Casper's young life pan out this way.  And this particular day will contain an event that will change Billy's life irreparably.

A brilliantly crafted story that will leave you thoroughly absorbed.