The Black Book of Secrets
Encyclopedia
The Black Book of Secrets is a novel written by F. E Higgins, who also wrote The Bone Magician and The Eyeball Collector.
At the start of the book, he is hit unconscious by his parents and is sent to Barton Gumbroot, a notorious tooth-extractor who plans to buy Ludlow's teeth. Ludlow fights them off and runs away. He escapes the City via a carriage that belongs to a man named Jeremiah Ratchet. The carriage takes him to a small mountainside town called Pagus Parvus. There, he meets a mysterious man called Joe Zabbidou, who is also a newcomer in Pagus Parvus.
Shortly after the two meet, Joe offers Ludlow a job as his apprentice in his work as a 'secret pawnbroker'. Ludlow's job involves writing secrets about the other people's lives in Pagus Parvus inside a black book.
Pagus Parvus is a town full of secrets. The villagers cannot sleep over their thoughts, but Joe helps them to relax, to forget, by confessing. May of their misfortunes are caused by Jeremiah Ratchet, who has mostly everyone in the town in his debt. Joe and Ludlow quickly gain the villagers' trust, but soon things take a horrible turn when Jeremiah convinces everyone that Joe is a wicked man who will blackmail everyone. Joe and Ludlow try to gain everyone's trust again, but Jeremiah finds out about the Black Book and tries to steal it for money.
The book is written with 3 different vantage points: Ludlow Fitch's Memoirs, the third person point of view, and the Black Book of Secrets' confessions.
A young boy who escapes his terrible past of the City when he escapes his parents, who were trying to sell his teeth for money. He is a pickpocket, and at first is confused when Joe teaches him about selflessness and helping others.
He is Joe Zabbidou's assistant, and writes down the Pagus Parvians' confessions in the Black Book of Secrets. He befriends a young maid called Polly, who works for Jeremiah.
Ludlow himself has a terrible secret, which he cannot rid himself of, or forget. It haunts him every night since he had left the City and near the end of the book, he tells his confession to Joe.
Joe Zabbidou
An mysterious, secretive man who is a 'secret pawnbroker', trading secrets for money to give to the villagers of Pagus Parvus, who are in desperate need of it. On the night of his arrival in Pagus Parvus, he offers Ludlow a job as his apprentice. He has a wooden peg leg, but its purpose is never mentioned. In Pagus Parvus, he takes up residence in the hat shop. Joe also owns a pet frog named Saluki, but he does not let anyone touch her as she is a Poison Dart Frog. Joe is mainly mysterious, he hides his past and does not disclose his future intentions.
He has a few secrets himself and his shadowy ways makes trouble for him and Ludlow later in the book, as the villagers are led to believe that he is evil and will blackmail them.
Jeremiah Ratchet
A wealthy, cruel, obese man who has most of Pagus Parvus in his debt. His wealth was derived from mainly inheritance, but also cunning and blackmail. These greedy ways cause his demise later on in the book. He dies when he tries to steal the Black Book, but he touches Saluki. Joe, knowing he is to die anyway, hands him the book, but as Jeremiah is about to expose everyone, he dies from Saluki's poison.
Polly
A young girl, who serves as maid to Jeremiah when she was left an orphan. She befriends Ludlow, and together they read one of the Black Book's Secrets, but they feel terrible afterwards.
in 2008.
is also available. "Wilson is a triumph, bringing character's voices recognisably from childhood to old age... mesmerisingly examined for meaning." Karen Robinson - The Sunday Times
on his reading of Alan Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child
.
Plot
A young boy, named Ludlow Fitch, lives in the City, and survives by picking pockets. He is sick of his poor parents' want of gin, as they will try anything to get it.At the start of the book, he is hit unconscious by his parents and is sent to Barton Gumbroot, a notorious tooth-extractor who plans to buy Ludlow's teeth. Ludlow fights them off and runs away. He escapes the City via a carriage that belongs to a man named Jeremiah Ratchet. The carriage takes him to a small mountainside town called Pagus Parvus. There, he meets a mysterious man called Joe Zabbidou, who is also a newcomer in Pagus Parvus.
Shortly after the two meet, Joe offers Ludlow a job as his apprentice in his work as a 'secret pawnbroker'. Ludlow's job involves writing secrets about the other people's lives in Pagus Parvus inside a black book.
Pagus Parvus is a town full of secrets. The villagers cannot sleep over their thoughts, but Joe helps them to relax, to forget, by confessing. May of their misfortunes are caused by Jeremiah Ratchet, who has mostly everyone in the town in his debt. Joe and Ludlow quickly gain the villagers' trust, but soon things take a horrible turn when Jeremiah convinces everyone that Joe is a wicked man who will blackmail everyone. Joe and Ludlow try to gain everyone's trust again, but Jeremiah finds out about the Black Book and tries to steal it for money.
The book is written with 3 different vantage points: Ludlow Fitch's Memoirs, the third person point of view, and the Black Book of Secrets' confessions.
Characters
Ludlow FitchA young boy who escapes his terrible past of the City when he escapes his parents, who were trying to sell his teeth for money. He is a pickpocket, and at first is confused when Joe teaches him about selflessness and helping others.
He is Joe Zabbidou's assistant, and writes down the Pagus Parvians' confessions in the Black Book of Secrets. He befriends a young maid called Polly, who works for Jeremiah.
Ludlow himself has a terrible secret, which he cannot rid himself of, or forget. It haunts him every night since he had left the City and near the end of the book, he tells his confession to Joe.
Joe Zabbidou
An mysterious, secretive man who is a 'secret pawnbroker', trading secrets for money to give to the villagers of Pagus Parvus, who are in desperate need of it. On the night of his arrival in Pagus Parvus, he offers Ludlow a job as his apprentice. He has a wooden peg leg, but its purpose is never mentioned. In Pagus Parvus, he takes up residence in the hat shop. Joe also owns a pet frog named Saluki, but he does not let anyone touch her as she is a Poison Dart Frog. Joe is mainly mysterious, he hides his past and does not disclose his future intentions.
He has a few secrets himself and his shadowy ways makes trouble for him and Ludlow later in the book, as the villagers are led to believe that he is evil and will blackmail them.
Jeremiah Ratchet
A wealthy, cruel, obese man who has most of Pagus Parvus in his debt. His wealth was derived from mainly inheritance, but also cunning and blackmail. These greedy ways cause his demise later on in the book. He dies when he tries to steal the Black Book, but he touches Saluki. Joe, knowing he is to die anyway, hands him the book, but as Jeremiah is about to expose everyone, he dies from Saluki's poison.
Polly
A young girl, who serves as maid to Jeremiah when she was left an orphan. She befriends Ludlow, and together they read one of the Black Book's Secrets, but they feel terrible afterwards.
Inspiration
F.E Higgins decided to write the book after finding a real peg leg just like Joe's. In it was contained a large amount of documents. She had found that it was, in fact, written by Ludlow himself. She also found though that a majority of it was unreadable so, with the pages that she could read, she decided to fill the gaps with her interpretation of what could have happened in between. In the book, it is the chapters in the third person that Higgins had written.Recognition
The Black Book Of Secrets was shortlisted for the Bolton Children's Book AwardBolton Children's Book Award
The Bolton Children's Book Award is an annual award given to works of children's literature published in paperback during the previous year. The award is sponsored by Bolton Literacy Trust, The University of Bolton and Page Nation.-List of Prize Winners:...
in 2008.
Audiobook
An unabridged audiobook of The Black Book of Secrets read by James Daniel WilsonJames Daniel Wilson
James Daniel Wilson is an English actor, voice-over artist and writer of various mediums including; lip sync translations of foreign films into English. Films James has written for include; The Door starring Helen Mirren and directed by István Szabó, Vicky and The Treasure of The Gods and Vicky the...
is also available. "Wilson is a triumph, bringing character's voices recognisably from childhood to old age... mesmerisingly examined for meaning." Karen Robinson - The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
on his reading of Alan Hollinghurst's The Stranger's Child
The Stranger's Child
The Stranger's Child is the fifth novel by Alan Hollinghurst, published in June 2011. The book tells the story of a minor poet, Cecil Valance, who is killed in the First World War. In 1913 he visits a Cambridge friend, George Sawle, at the latter's home in Stanmore, Middlesex...
.