Boy A

Boy A is the title of a 2004 novel by British writer Jonathan Trigell. The book is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult, taking its title from the court practice of concealing the identity of child defendants. The story has some parallels to the fates of the murderers of James Bulger, although the crime itself differs significantly. Among others, it echoes aspects of the Sakakibara Seito case in Japan and the Mary Bell ... more

Boy A is the title of a 2004 novel by British writer Jonathan Trigell. The book is the story of a child criminal released into society as an adult, taking its title from the court practice of concealing the identity of child defendants. The story has some parallels to the fates of the murderers of James Bulger, although the crime itself differs significantly. Among others, it echoes aspects of the Sakakibara Seito case in Japan and the Mary Bell case. The writer always admitted that the killer was not based on anyone he knew. However in Milan in 2004, he said there was a hint of truth in his writings, although did not disclose any further information on the subject. Published by Serpent's Tail in English speaking countries, the novel has been translated into French under the title Jeux d'Enfants published by Gallimard and also into Russian, Dutch and Spanish. It won the 2004 John Llewellyn Rhys Prize and the 2005 Waverton Good Read Award. On World Book Day (UK) 2008, Boy A was voted... less