The Climbers
Keith Gray
Barrington Stoke, August 2021
Paperback, £7.99
ISBN 9781781129999
It took several days to figure out what my issue was with The Climbers. I enjoyed it, so much so that I finished it in a single sitting. But I couldn’t shake a sense of dissatisfaction with the novel until I realised my mistake: The Climbers is a short story, or something very close, and that’s the best way to approach it.
The book is set in England and follows a group of young people who enjoy falling out of trees and watching other young people fall out of trees. They really love trees. Sully, our dubious hero, is the greatest tree climber (faller) in the village until Nottingham arrives, scarred and sharp-tongued and awfully good at climbing trees.
The book is fundamentally about mistaking trivial things, like being better at climbing things than other boys, for important things, like being a good friend. It’s also about growing up and growing away from a difficult family situation. It’s smart, and sometimes it’s funny. It’s unafraid to portray its protagonists as flawed humans, real people with dark thoughts and desires.
What a shame that the last act is so rushed. It’s true that it’s closer to a short story, but even a short story must stick the landing. Still — try it on for size, especially if you like trees. Here, they have names and personalities as distinct as any of the characters. Sometimes more so.
Luke Power
