Krindlekrax (by Philip Ridley)

I don’t think I had ever read anything by Philip Ridley. He has apparently written quite a few novels for children, mostly with strange titles. He has written some books or adults too. I wouldn’t have picked up ‘Krindlekrax’ for light reading if I had seen it in a shop; the front cover looks quite gruesome. But it’s the kind of thing that might appeal to children of around eight to ten.

A young friend was in a stage production of ‘Krindlekrax’ recently, and was then given the book. After she read it, she offered to lend it to me, as I was interested to know the original story on which the play was based.

The hero of the book is Ruskin, a small, rather weak boy with lots of hair, thick glasses and a weedy kind of voice. His ambition is to be an actor, and he hopes to audition for a part in his school play. Ruskin’s parents are not at all supportive. His mother sits around all day drinking tea and eating toast, and his father plays with toy animals and sometimes gets drunk.

To add to the caricatures, there’s a doctor who is highly allergic, and a teacher who keeps pencils in his mouth and hair, while bursting into tears any time anyone mentions Shakespeare. These details weren’t in the performance I watched - they don’t really add much to the story, other than making it all the more strange. The only realistic adult character in the book is Corky, the school caretaker, who is close friends with Ruskin - perhaps his only friend.

The focus of both the main story and the school play is a giant alligator called Krindlekrax. He lives in the sewers, and stalks the street where the characters live at night. It’s a tad surreal, but the kind of semi-fantasy that young children enjoy, with an almost Dahl-esque oddness.

Ruskin is a surprisingly well-balanced and good-hearted boy despite his bizarre upbringing and his strange appearance. He is bullied by a much bigger boy in his class called Elvis, whose favourite pastime is breaking windows with a football which he stole from Ruskin. In the play I saw, I felt that Ruskin wasn’t quite real; the boy playing him was excellent, but there was an incident where he sulks and refuses to speak to Corky, due to something rather silly. In the book, he does not sulk - it would not be in keeping with his character - but does avoid Corky for a day or two due to feeling awkward and embarrassed about something he has discovered. That felt a lot more coherent to me.

The writing is good, and the pace rapid enough to hold the interest of newly fluent readers. I felt that the story has a satisfying conclusion, although it follows on from a sad event that is highly unusual in a book for young children. I knew it was coming as I had seen the stage version. Perhaps for the kinds of children who would naturally gravitate to a book like this, it would not be shocking or upsetting. But if parents are considering reading it aloud to a younger, sensitive child, it would be worth skimming through it first. It’s not a long book; I read it in about an hour.

Recommended to children who like this kind of book - it would probably appeal most to boys, as all the children in it are boys, and it’s action-based rather than character-based. But I’d say it’s appropriate for anyone from the age of about eight and upwards.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews