Sacrifices (Hardcover)

Christopher Hughes was a remarkable teacher. He knew every one of the boys in his classes as if he could see into their minds, and he had an uncanny understanding of their weaknesses and strengths. He had the gift of dispelling dullness, making every topic come magically alive. He was extraordinarily dynamic and, once he had become headmaster of Meniston School, more than a little frightening - to pupils and colleagues alike. "Sacrifices", Michael Fishwick's second novel, begins with Hughes's funeral, as his daughter Anna looks back at his life. His career had ended in disgrace, destroyed by accusations of an improper relationship with a boy. In the subsequent chapters we see Christopher again through the eyes of those whose lives he touched - Daniel Ellis, the man Anna loved and whose child she bore; Mrs Kobak, a former school matron who suffered humiliation at the hands of the headmaster; Alex Rainsford, Hughes's deputy, who struggled briefly with his conscience before bringing matters to the attention of the governors; and Deborah, Hughes's wife, self-effacing, highly-strung, a bit strange. And around these lives revolve others - children, lovers - until at last the kaleidoscope is shaken into focus and we discover the truth about Christopher Hughes, his life and his death. Complex, moving, totally engrossing, "Sacrifices" confirms the promise of "Smashing People", Michael Fishwick's acclaimed first novel.