Review | This Census-Taker by China Miéville

An unnamed boy witnesses something awful in his house, but he’s told that what he saw isn’t the truth. As he wonders whether his memories are real, he also seeks to escape his lonely situation. But left alone with an unreliable parent and abandoned by helpless bystanders, the boy doesn’t see a way out. Until a stranger arrives, bringing questions and more.

A boy ran down a hill path screaming. The boy was I. He held his hands up and out in front of him as if he’d dipped them in paint and was coming to make a picture, to press them down to paper, but all there was on him was dirt. There was no blood on his palms.

How do I review this book! As you can see in the above quote, This Census-Taker isn’t a straightforward tale. An unnamed narrator is recounting his childhood, but his memories are fragile. He talks in third person and sometimes switches to first person. As if by doing this, he can pretend that the worst moments in his life happened to someone else.

In his story, a boy lives with his parents on a remote house on a hill. His father makes keys which seems to have special functions and the townspeople from the bottom of the hill frequently request his services. His mother is distant but cares for the boy as much as she can. One day he sees his father killing his mother, but his father said his mother left. The boy starts doubting his memories. Other people try to help him, but they have no choice to leave him with his father as there is no evidence of foul play. This is where it gets super tense! I was scared for him, alone in the house with his reclusive, strange father.

There are interesting supporting characters in the form of other children from town. There is also a cave with a dark hole on the ground that fascinates the boy. He’s a curious and smart child, and everything from his point of view retains that innocence and naivety. The story alludes to far off countries, wars, and technological revolution but they go over the boy’s head. This is where I wish we get more information. We never get the full picture of what exactly happened, and the adults don’t tell the boy the full truth. I would have loved for more world-building as what the book provides is pretty enticing, especially with regard to the census-taker’s appearance.

I loved the writing, which is beautiful and concise. But I don’t think this is the perfect China Miéville book to start with because the vagueness might frustrate some readers. Still, it’s an unnerving tale of lost childhood, memories and the horror that comes from inside your house.

Note: contains multiple scenes of animal deaths

About the author: China Miéville

Photo by Cassie Boca