Stuart Neilson

GalleryASD fiction Beckett, Simon - Owning Jacob

Beckett, Simon - "Owning Jacob"
Two men are locked in a mutually destructive and self-destructive battle to "own" Jacob, one convinced of his social superiority, the other of his genetic entitlement. Jacob, unfortunately, exists only as an attribute that is necessary for a man to possess in order to claim to be a father. The choice to use a son (rather than a daughter) who is perceived to need protecting due to autism adds to this obsessive war of paternity. The book has no room to express the child's personality or identity, although plenty of space to savage social work and child protection workers. Goodreads reviews www.simonbeckett.com