Skallagrigg

William Horwood (author)

Penguin Books, UK: 1987; 728pp

ISBN: 0140072063

Note: advanced concepts, sexual references

Genres: allegorical, realistic fiction

Issues: disability, friendship, family, identity, special needs, stereotypes

This is a powerful and compelling novel that moves the reader to tears - of compassion, recognition, anger and joy. Skallagrigg is a computer game designed by the brilliant Esther, a victim of cerebral palsy. Skallagrigg is also a myth that has enabled the inmates of mental hospitals all over England to maintain hope when their surroundings are unbearable.

The quest for ‘the Skallagrigg' unites Arthur, abandoned in a grim hospital many years ago, with Esther, the voice of the future for those who inherit their condition. The narrative voice is that of a researcher who seeks to find the designer and inspiration of the incredible computer game, Skallagrigg. The reader hears the stories he hears, sees the discoveries he makes, and, like him, must weave the scattered pieces into a meaningful whole.

The novel challenges readers' conceptions and judgements, not only about what it means to be disabled, but what it means to love, to hate, to fear. To summarise the plot would be to destroy the wonderful - and terrible - experience of the first reading of a novel that bears revisiting.