Book Review: The Boy In The Tower by Polly Ho-Yen

‘The Boy In The Tower’ by Polly Ho-Yen was published in 2014. It was her debut children’s novel. The story follows Ade, a young boy, living with his mum in a tower block in London. When a series of peculiar events begin to take place in the city, buildings falling down and mysterious deaths, the masses flee their homes in London for pastures new. But Ade remains, holding a vigil over the ruins of the city.

I loved this book, it seems to be the perfect bedtime story or class read for children, there is plenty of room to delve into the nuanced emotion in the pages. I loved how Ho-Yen explored themes of togetherness, survival and community, through a comfortable and accessible lens. Ade is ignorant to the layers and depth of struggles among his adult companions, he just sees their endless kindness and compassion. It makes them so much more likeable. If the story was written from the perspective of one of the adult characters, I doubt it would have had the same impact, because adults are perceptive in different ways, they harbour suspicion, not curiosity, and the whole story would be turned on its head.

I loved how this book explored the theme of mortality. With Ade spending most of the book in the company of adults. Dory, for example, is unbothered in killing pigeons to ensure that there’s meat on the table, because she’s always cooked pigeons. Nobody else would have necessarily considered utilising a pigeon’s willingness to approach humans for food.

This book is punchy, fast paced, and tackles the idea of passing time well. I absolutely loved how the story echoes the complacency, comfort, routine and in contrast, the frantic sense of panic that the characters experience. It’s an incredibly clever technique.

It’s a story of strength and I really enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend giving it a go, the sense of togetherness in this book really has some extra oomph post-pandemic.