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Overview
For Charlie, the cold, dark basement is home. Father has kept him locked in there as punishment. Charlie doesn’t intend to leave, but when he is accidentally thrust outside, he awakens to the alien surroundings of a world to which he’s never before been exposed. Though haunted by hallucinations, fear of the basement, and his father’s rage, Charlie must find a way to survive in his new world. He has escaped his past, but his journey has just begun.
A twelve-year-old boy is confined to his basement without food or clothing.
Synopsis
For Charlie, the cold, dark basement is home. Father has kept him locked in there as punishment. Charlie doesn t intend to leave, but when he is accidentally thrust outside, he awakens to the alien surroundings of a world to which he s never before been exposed. Though haunted by hallucinations, fear of the basement, and his father s rage, Charlie must find a way to survive in his new world. He has escaped his past, but his journey has just begun.
Francine Thomas - Children's Literature
Twelve-year-old Charlie's story begins with a heartrending scene of human cruelty. "I'm sitting in a basement smelling of old, burned furnace oil. Empty and raw, no feeling of ease or well-being. Just being . . . . I am alone down here." Father is punishing Charlie because he came in contact with other children. In this parent's twisted mind, his only child is contaminated, ruined. Charlie cannot attend school or play with others. Starving, he is forced to sneak upstairs hoping his mother has hidden an apple or onion to assuage his hunger. When he can no longer wait, and if the basement door is unlocked, he tiptoes out into the yard to relieve himself. If only the wind will not reveal his misdeeds under the trees. He is caught escaping once and the violence breaks his shoulder, a constant reminder he must be good. He longs for his father to acknowledge him. "Is it hard for you . . . knowing there's only a door between us? You would see me if you opened it. True and real." Throughout the story a taunting spider takes on frightening attributes of Charlie's abusive parent. "Her rasping ... hot breath. Can't let her touch me again. She's gonna get me!" This first person account, though fictional, surely represents hidden stories of children who escape within themselves to survive. No "and they lived happily after" tale, this is ultimately one of rescue and hope. Susan Shaw exhibits rare insight into a foul side of life in this important work. 2004, Dutton Children's Books, Ages 10 to 14.
Editorials
From Barnes & Noble
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New WritersTwelve-year-old Charlie is locked in his parents' basement. Not for an hour, not for a day, but for years. This "punishment" has left him starving, cold, and mildly hallucinatory, as he continues his existence in the dark, terrified of "Father." Tragically, it's the only home Charlie has ever known.
One night, everything changes as Charlie accidentally locks himself outside. Fearing punishment, he flees in terror. But as Charlie's true journey to freedom begins, he is haunted by the omniscient, raging presence of Father and menacing visions of "the spider."
Shaw's writing is seamless. Narrated entirely by Charlie, there is no comforting past tense in this novel. With authenticity, immediacy, and a palpable sense of danger, Charlie's world becomes the reader's own - a feverish nightmare provoking a profound emotional response.
Waking up to find himself in the care of medical professionals, Charlie's eyes open to wonder at the world around him. His first taste of unconditional love is heartrendingly beautiful and his attention to the ordinary, everyday things we take for granted will fill readers' eyes with tears. Snow, laughter, a father's caress, running free, outside.
Ultimately, Charlie is faced with a choice. Will he choose the liberty of the unknown or the "safety" of familiarity? The Boy from the Basement is an extraordinary tale of recovery, of a child's unrelenting loyalty in the face of hideous betrayal and abuse, and of the healing, transformative power of love. Read it and weep. We did. (Holiday 2004 Selection)
Children's Literature
Twelve-year-old Charlie's story begins with a heartrending scene of human cruelty. "I'm sitting in a basement smelling of old, burned furnace oil. Empty and raw, no feeling of ease or well-being. Just being . . . . I am alone down here." Father is punishing Charlie because he came in contact with other children. In this parent's twisted mind, his only child is contaminated, ruined. Charlie cannot attend school or play with others. Starving, he is forced to sneak upstairs hoping his mother has hidden an apple or onion to assuage his hunger. When he can no longer wait, and if the basement door is unlocked, he tiptoes out into the yard to relieve himself. If only the wind will not reveal his misdeeds under the trees. He is caught escaping once and the violence breaks his shoulder, a constant reminder he must be good. He longs for his father to acknowledge him. "Is it hard for you . . . knowing there's only a door between us? You would see me if you opened it. True and real." Throughout the story a taunting spider takes on frightening attributes of Charlie's abusive parent. "Her rasping ... hot breath. Can't let her touch me again. She's gonna get me!" This first person account, though fictional, surely represents hidden stories of children who escape within themselves to survive. No "and they lived happily after" tale, this is ultimately one of rescue and hope. Susan Shaw exhibits rare insight into a foul side of life in this important work. 2004, Dutton Children's Books, Ages 10 to 14.—Francine Thomas
KLIATT
In her second novel, Susan Shaw has created a haunting study of an abused boy and the journey he makes toward a normal life. Told from the 12-year-old's point of view, the story follows Charlie as he sneaks up from the basement where his father has sent him as a punishment. Obviously sheltered from society and cultural customs, Charlie is unprepared to find himself locked out of the house and on his own. He is found by police officers and taken to a hospital where the real details of his experience and rigid upbringing come to light. In the hospital he is befriended by Aaron, a sensitive and typical young teen who is both amazed and amused by Charlie's lack of understanding about the world. In Part Two of the novel, Charlie's recovery begins as he is sent to live in a foster home with strong but sympathetic Mrs. Harrigan and a younger child, Ambrose, who is also recovering from abuse at the hands of his mother. Charlie learns what it means to become part of a family but struggles with a fear of leaving the house, even to see his friend play soccer. While Part Two moves more slowly as Charlie is home schooled and counseled, the story illustrates the step-by-step recovery process and the bittersweet longings the children have for the parents who abused them. KLIATT Codes: JS—Recommended for junior and senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Dutton, 208p., Ages 12 to 18.—Janis Flint-Ferguson