Let's Kill Uncle

Oh, the Brits and their black humor. Sometimes they get so dark it freaks me out...even when I'm giggling.

"Let's Kill Uncle" was written in 1963 (now republished by The Bloomsbury Group, which publishes out-of-print treasures) and Rohan O'Grady is sort of the anti-Gene Stratton Porter. Her little hero and heroine - Barnaby Gaunt, sullen, grubby and devilishly inventive, and Christie, belligerent, evil-tempered and cynical - come to a remote Canadian island to spend the summer. Christie is a city urchin, boarding with "the goat lady" to get some fresh air; Barnaby is there to summer at his uncle's island home. The two children, immediately antagonistic to each other, accomplish some epic knock-down, drag-out -fighting, but it soon show more becomes evident that making friends is their only viable option: Barnaby's charming, mild-mannered uncle is actually a homicidal maniac intent on murdering both children.. . .unless the little darlings murder him first.

What delighted me about this book was the way O'Grady turned her genre on its head. In many ways, "Let's Kill Uncle" follows a traditional storyline: sulky, unhappy city children, forced into a rural paradise, discover the simple joys of childhood and become model children. Barnaby and Christie are no more immune to simple country pleasures than more traditional literary children; it's just that they have an extremely complex chore to perform before they can truly enjoy their island idyll. Uncle is deliciously mad and perverse, but the children are hard-headed little savages, and their machinations are extremely funny....especially their final coup, which caused me some involuntary tea-snorting.

The pace of "Let's Kill Uncle" is rather meandering; there are several little subplots, each entertaining in its way, but the novel cuts back and forth between them in ways that can be jarring. I would have preferred fewer interruptions to the flow of the story, and I think it would have quickened the pace; but overall, this one was just delightful. It may have overshadowed "Henrietta's War" as my new favorite Bloomsbury. Thanks to LT's Early Reviewer program for my copy of this novel! show less

This is the second novel of the "Bloomsbury Group" that I've gotten via LibraryThing's EarlyReviewer's program, Bloomsbury's project to republish forgotten novels of the early 20th century that have nothing at all to do with the Bloomsbury Group. A Canadian novel from 1963, Let's kill Uncle concerns a small coastal island where orphan Barnaby Gaunt is sent to live after being orphaned. Only he's a bit of discipline problem, and he keeps on acting out. There are only two people on the island who have any influence over him: Sergeant Coulter of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Christie, a girl about his own age. Barnaby and Christie are the only two kids on the island.

Much of the book concerns the back-and-forth between Sergeant show more Coulter and the kids, with the kids wanting to do their own kid-like things (which are occasionally quite mean) and Sergeant Coulter wanting to keep them under control but also help them grow. But Sergeant Coulter's got enough problems; he's the youngest person aside from the kids on the island, as he was the only islander to come back from World Wars I and II. So he's got some guilt going on. The interplay between Coulter and the children is really what makes this book come to life: Barnaby has a strange respect for Coulter, and Coulter finds himself becoming a father despite himself.

As the title indicates, the two kids eventually set out to kill Barnaby's uncle, a sick bastard who wants the money that Barnaby is heir to. This occupies surprisingly less of the book than I'd expected, though I should have realized that two little kids aren't exactly going to be skilled murders. The book is a weird mixture of idyllic summers, damaged characters, and dark sadism. It's sort of Roald Dahl by way of L. M. Montgomery by way of I-don't-know-what. Nothing astounding, but different from anything else I've read, and enjoyable if you like stories about adventurous kids or duty-bound officers-- and I like both. show less

Barnaby Gaunt y Christie MacNab, dos niños de diez años, llegan a la Isla, localizada en el Pacífico canadiense, para pasar sus vacaciones de verano. Si bien empiezan con disputas y peleas, no tardarán en hacerse buenos amigos, llegando incluso a planificar el asesinato del tío de Barnaby. Y es que si no se le adelantan, será el Tío quien acabe con ellos. Barnaby, tras el fallecimiento de sus padres, heredará diez millones de dólares, suma que pasaría a su tío si él también muriese. ¿Podrán estos dos niños planificar el crimen perfecto y adelantarse a la mente criminal del Tío?

Acompañando a Barnaby y Christie, se encuentran otro buen número de personajes, destacando entre ellos el sargento Coulter, de la Real Policía show more Montada del Canadá, íntegro donde los haya. El tío, el comandante Murchinson-Gaunt, representa el sadismo y la falta de conciencia. Ha habido momentos en que la relación entre los niños y el tío me ha recordado a algunas escenas de esa obra maestra que es la película ‘La noche del cazador’, donde Robert Mitchum interpreta un papel magistral. Entre los personajes secundarios cabe mencionar al matrimonio Brooks, encargados de la tienda, que se hacen cargo de Barnaby en ausencia de su tío. La hacendosa señora Nielsen, la cabrera, es quien cuida a Christie. Y por último, Una Oreja, un puma salvaje, que también juega su papel en la historia.

Mezcla de novela gótica y de humor negro, ‘Matemos al tío’, de la canadiense Rohan O’Grady (seudónimo de June Skinner), es un libro cuanto menos atípico. A veces roza lo infantil y otras directamente lo perverso. Aun así, también es alegre, eso sí, alegremente siniestra. La historia está excelentemente desarrollada (gran traducción de Raquel Vicedo), y asistimos a una evidente evolución de los personajes. Magnífica novela, excelente literatura. show less

"Dos niños deambulaban felices y bronceados, con la mente ocupada en planear un asesinato con una frialdad que habría horrorizado a los salvajes habitantes de aquellas tierras de antaño"

Mi sensación con esta novela puede reducirse a 2 palabras: dulcemente perversa. ¡Qué adorable historia! es lo que nunca nadie dijo acerca de este libro, aún cuando existe una bella amistad, un amor infinito y un cariño atronador. De igual forma casi puedo asegurar que al leerlo pensamos ¡qué adorables niños! , a pesar de que planean un asesinato y están dispuestos a sacrificar a otros para salvar su pellejo. Esa dualidad es lo que hace que esta novela sea buena, porque es díficil no tomarle cariño al menos a un personaje (Yo adoré a Una show more Oreja), y de hecho la primera mitad se siente como si hubiera creada con ese propósito.

La historia se disfrutá, pero a mi se me hizó chocante lque se tarde tanto en presentar al Tío, es hasta la segunda mitad que esto sucede y la planeación del asesinato comienzá plenamente, esto mismo provoca que todo lo relacionado con el asesinato venga precedido de unas 150 páginas en cierto modo infantiles pero con un oculto lado oscuro. El matiz entre ambas partes es delicioso, especialmente porque entra el POV de Tío, es ahí donde se demuestra lo que Barnaby afirmaba a pesar de nadie le creía (y sí, por un momento yo tampoco confié en que fueras verdad).

El final lo sentí apresurado, me encantó como es que se terminá este pleito aunque fue en absoluto inesperado, es algo que se venía venir desde varias páginas atras , pero el momento y como fue descrito está muy bien hecho.

Siendo el mayor atributo los personajes, la última página no tiene desperdicio; demuestra una evolución que roza entre la madurez y el instinto infantil (y no me refiero sólo a los niños), para mi este aspecto queda sellado con la última frase ¿fuí yo o es bastante tetríca?

Una historia peculiar, que te mete en un mundo donde hasta la verdad más absoluta puede ser n creída y que por más débil que seas puedes defenderte. show less

Let's Kill Uncle belongs on the book shelf right next to "I Capture the Castle" and "Cold Comfort Farm." It's a dark (very dark) nasty comedy about Barnaby Gaunt and his friend Chrissie who decide that since no grownup will ever believe a child, the only way to save themselves from Barnaby's sadistic uncle is to murder him. The book cover was once illustrated by Edward Gorey, and the illustration is included in this edition. The book is a little thin on plot. Chrissie and Barnaby are not particularly likable themselves, rather beastly which is a good thing considering what they're up against. The setting, an island somewhere off the coast of Vancouver, BC, is wonderful. It's full of wacky characters that behave poorly and police who are show more clueless and ultimately brave children who persevere against the odds. I found it delightful. show less

Deliciosamente oscuro, este libro es una delicia, una historia maravillosa, ingeniosa, tenebrosa, tierna, escalofriante, sarcástica, divinamente irónica, encantadoramente perversa.

Nuestros protagonistas, Christie y Bernaby son unos niños tan astutos, traviesos y terribles como adorables, encantadores y completamente entrañables, se ven envueltos en una aventura tan escalofriante como divertida.

De verdad este libro es una joya por donde se le mire, es increíble que me haya sacado carcajadas con un humor absolutamente negro pero ingenuo al mismo tiempo. ¡Qué Genialidad!

No puedo más que hablar maravillas, se lee tan fácilmente que cuando me dí cuenta ya había terminado el libro, creo que en mi vida me he leído un libro tan show more rápido, pero es tan divertido, tan bien escrito, tan entretenido, tan delicioso, que uno no quisiera que terminara.

Me he enamorado de cada personaje, del paisaje, del puma, de los perros, del tonto del pueblo, de los ancianos adorables que cuidan a estos niños, me he divertido con todas las travesuras de ellos, de sus pleitos pero también de su más hermosa complicidad.

Bueno es que hasta el tío me ha resultado un personaje tan absurdo como oscuro y que me ha encantado conocer.

¡Maravilloso! show less

I took a chance on this book, hoping it might be interesting and not boring. My expectations were exceeded by a long shot. This dark novel of suspense is a compelling read and I didn't want to put it down. It is a mixture of mystery, suspense, coming of age story with a hint of the fantastic (is Uncle really a werewolf?). But the quality of the writing makes it work. The two children in the story visit an island where there are no other children. All the eligible men were lost during the two wrold wars, except for one man, who is now the RCMP officer for the islands in the area. His realtionship with the children is at first official, but diring the course of the novel he becomes involved with their lives. But it is a bit of blackmail show more that forces him to become the Guardian of the little boy. They know each others' secrets. I would not recommend this book to small children, but even for young adults it would be a bit of stretch. Uncle has a very dark side and while it is not explicit, we know what he has done and wants to do to the children. Whether he is a werewolf or a sadist or a child molester he is a monster. But that is not where the heart of the book is, itis in the children and how they learn to relate to one another and also learn to become a part of the island community.

And that makes it worht reading. show less