Dream Children

by A.N. Wilson

Book Overview

Oliver Gold, the brilliant, ascetic writer and philosopher, has lived quietly and happily for eight years on the outskirts of London as a lodger in 12 Wagner Rise. His sudden decision to marry and... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393027406
• ISBN13: 9780393027402
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 218 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.6" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

A STORY THAT PUTS US IN A HORRIFYING PLACE...

...into the mind and life of a pedophile. Told from the point of view of Oliver Gold, a seemingly mild-mannered, brilliant writer and philosopher, A. N. Wilson's book does just that -- and it is truly a scary place to visit. Gold lives in a house of women -- all of whom consider themselves to be free-thinkers. It is the consequence of this self-image that they allow themselves to be taken in emotionally by their male lodger, to the extent that they are unable -- or unwilling -- to see the ongoing relationship he shares with Bobs, a precocious pre-teen girl, the daughter of one of the women in the house. A dark, well-written story with disturbing moral implications, Wilson's novel is one that will -- hopefully -- make most readers uncomfortable to the point that they will do some serious thinking and investigating on their own into the subject of child abuse in our society. I don't think for a moment that Wilson has made his protagonist seem gentle and harmless, intelligent and ingratiating, in order to make him seem less evil, or to propose in any way whatsoever that this sort of behavior is acceptable -- he's done it in order for us to realize how insidiously a perpetrator such as Gold can 'hide in plain sight'. There are truly monsters such as this who live among us, preying on children. As disturbing as this novel is, maybe it will cause all of us to open our eyes a little wider, to be more watchful and vigilant in protecting those who look to us for care and love.

Well written disturbing book with open questions

Ok. Five stars for the story - not for the main object. And (I've got the hard-cover) no stars for the bookbinding - it was the very first book I was supposed to cut the pages even. Oliver, the philosopher with the high-flying mind and the unability for normal social bindings sees himself kindly entrapped in a strange set of adoring women, each eager to use him for her own purpose - to earn social reputation, get some pieces of high-spirited knowledge, get a crumb of love. He is same time comfortable and dissatisfied, until he discovers his love for the child of one of the women, and, because the mother has other things in mind, is then the willing father-substitute. This gives the circle of women more to adore him - and him the chance to live the only love he is really able to - the love to a child. *What* he is doing to and with the child is not the matter of the book (seems to be nothing physical harming), but it was disturbing (for me as a reader) to see that he is not even able to question his view about this relation - and, as so often, for him everything seems to support his view. This narrowed view is uncomfortably human. On the last pages his ex-beloved girl, now adult, seems to be an healthy, unharmed woman, but also this view is questionable, because she seems to be unable to form a 'normal' relationship to another adult, in this story because she knows that no love can be as deep as this she have had in childhood. If you're interested in adult-child-relations far from what is considered 'normal' you may read this book, but don't think it will support pedophilia - the question of harm is not as open as it may seem (here).

Should we make a moral judgement on a well-written book?

OK. One school of thought says that if it's well-written and amusing and keeps us reading we have no business getting annoyed about the subject. There is a question of verisimilitude however. Wilson does a very good job of conveying the state of mind of the perpetrator - that sense of innocence so many pedophiles have - but the complete lack of repugnance by the child is not plausible. This is a literary demerit as well as a moralistic one.

Cuttings from recent press reviews of Dream Children

"Dream Children is brilliantly and mesmerically readable. Wilson has an unfakeable flair for storytelling - I read it virtually in one sitting, missing my stop on the Underground as I did so. I defy any reader, however they feel about the theme or the author's treatment of it, not to be utterly engaged by this book." ... -- The London Evening Standard"Dream Children, although a work of fiction, attempts to introduce a note of rationality into the debate. To that extent, it is both welcome and timely. [...] The scenario is enough to disturb any reader. It is a measure of Wilson's sureness of touch that he avoids prurience, avoids sensationalism, and makes us look at the situation with the same objectivity as he does. Oliver, palpably, is not a monster. Bobs, palpably, is not left traumatised by the relationship. [...] a brave and dispassionate treatment of a sensitive theme." -- The Daily Telegraph."... a novel which struck me as among the cleverest and funniest of the decade." -- Auberon Waugh, in The Sunday Times."... a bitter and moral comedy, that makes Lolita look the self-indulgent melodrama it really is." -- The Scotsman."Whatever the rights and wrongs, this remains an astonishing novel - lucid, vigorous, uncompromising, and unflaggingly intelligent. It will make Wilson a household name - in many places a detested one. Perhaps this book will be seen by future generations as following in the footsteps of other fictional precursors of social and legal reform, such as Uncle Tom's Cabin and many works by Charles Dickens. What seems certain is that anyone who thinks about social issues or wonders about the nature of modern life against the wider backdrop of history, will not rest content until they have read it." -- The South China Morning Post