Gentlemen and Players

Gentlemen and Players

  - Joanne Harris

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Prior to this, I had read three books by the author – the very popular ‘Chocolat’, it’s lesser known sequel ‘The Lollipop Shoes’, and perhaps still uncommon ‘Five Quarters of an Orange’. All of these were told from the perspective of strong women characters, and food was an integral part of the stories – with such delightful descriptions that you could almost sense the aroma, and yearn for a taste.

Gentlemen and Players is completely different in tone and setting – it is set in an old, traditional boys’ grammar school in England, and narrated in two voices - that of an old teacher of Classics with a great devotion towards his school, and his adversary who wants to destroy the institution. I have come to regard Joanne Harris as a wonderful story teller, who can take such diverse settings to build up the atmosphere very well, and tell a compelling story. This one is quite dark, darker than Five Quarters of an Orange, though not with as much complexity in relationships and personality. It is more of a psychological thriller, and quite a good one at that. It has an engaging plot, and keeps a fast pace, without sacrificing the character development. The double twist at the end almost knocks you out (no other spoilers here – they are at the end, but couldn’t keep myself from mentioning this at least). This has some adult themes, and I wouldn’t recommend it for teens under 15 or so (but that is just me :) ) 

The story moves forth in two time periods – the present, and the past of 14 years ago which has caused the repercussion leading to the present day situation. This book is styled with a chess theme, and the chapters bear the titles indicating moves of the game. As in the game, moves are feigned to misdirect the attention, and pawns are ruthlessly sacrificed. The first protagonist, the old teacher Mr. Roy Straitely, is an institution in himself, adhering to the old ways, well loved by students, though unwanted by the management. The school is his life, and he is driven by the love of school and his students. The way his character is shaped up gradually is simply wonderful, and you love him for, and despite, his eccentricities which hide a sharp intellect. His nemesis, the unnamed enemy, infiltrates the organization to strike from within to bring it down once and for all. I would describe this character as a psychopath, who holds nothing sacred, but still bears a kind of regard towards the old teacher. Looking back now, I find it quite interesting that the teacher’s character is developed almost entirely in the present, while that of his enemy is defined and shaped in the events in past. This book kept me hooked so much as to give up a night’s sleep, and totally occupied my thoughts for a couple of days (until I started reading something else).

I was kind of disturbed to find kids as young as 13 or 14 freely engaging in sex. And not all of them came from unprivileged background or broken homes. This also happened in The Lovely Bones, which is set in US and in a different time period. Is it a cultural difference, or have I lived my youth (I am still young, btw ;-)) under a rock? 

One aspect that frustrated me was the ongoing hint/mention of aterrible event that happened earlier, that fueled the second narrator’s desire for revenge. I got a sense of déjà vu – in Five Quarters, revelation of a similar event was so long drawn that by the end I had ceased caring; thankfully here it was not stretched till the end. But for this long drawn surprise (I would instead have appreciated to have no hint to that terrible something till it was disclosed), and the point in the spoiler ahead, I would have rated it a 5.

This is FYI – the book deals with themes such as LGBT life and persecution, child abuse, bullying, objectively and in a sympathetic manner. 

SPOILER ALERT ...

The twist that revealed the identity of the antagonist came as a big double surprise. However, I think that the author may have been deliberately misled the reader here, to be certain in their mind as to who it was, and focus on what happens next, and how the things pan out. This was unfair to the reader, and took away some of the credibility of the narration.