The Wall

William Sutcliffe

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
ISBN: 9781408837450
Price: £12.99

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Synopsis

An enthralling story drawn from a frightening political reality, The Wall by William Sutcliffe is about the devastating effect of occupation and segregation on ordinary lives.

In Detail

Joshua is 13. He lives with his mother and stepfather in Amarias, an isolated town on top of a hill where all the houses are brand new. At the edge of Amarias is a high wall, guarded by soldiers, which can only be crossed through a heavily fortified checkpoint.

Joshua has been taught that beyond the concrete is a brutal and unforgiving enemy, and that The Wall is the only thing keeping him and his people safe. One day, looking for a lost football, Joshua stumbles across a tunnel which leads towards this forbidden territory. He knows he won't get another opportunity to see what is beyond The Wall until he's old enough for military service, and the chance to crawl through and solve the mystery is too tempting to resist. He's heard plenty of stories about the other side, but nothing has prepared him for what he finds . . .

The Wall is a novel about a boy who undertakes a short journey to another world, to a place where everything he knows about loyalty, identity and justice is turned upside down. It is also a political fable that powerfully evokes the realities of life on the West Bank, telling the story of a Settler child who finds there are two sides to every story.

Discussion Ideas

Download the PDF, below, for a range of discussion ideas including: What makes a coming-of-age novel?; What are the roles the 'father figures' play in this story?; How the authro builds the tension in The Wall; and in what was is this story a 'modern fable'?

Activities

Creative writing ideas available in the PDF explore Settings and Themes, Plotting and Endings.

There are also web links for further study about the Palestinian and Israeli conflict and book suggestions, including fiction and non-fiction.