A Troublesome Boy (review)

Teddy's last school year has been such a disaster that his mother's live-in boyfriend has shipped him off to St. Ignatius Academy, a Catholic boys' boarding school known for literally whipping guys into shape. Teddy's big mouth and bad attitude get him his fair share of punishment, generally detention or lockdown in a dark closet for a few hours. His new pal Tim Cooper, faring even less well, has caught the attention of Father Prince. When Father Prince isn't watching the boys in the shower, he's singling Cooper out for special attention after lights out, and it becomes clear to Teddy that his friend is being abused. The kindness of the school janitor makes life at Iggy's almost bearable, but in the end it's not enough for Cooper, who takes his own life. Teddy works up the courage to find one of the more open-minded brothers and lay Cooper's incriminating diary before him; authorities are called in to investigate, Father Prince is removed, and it looks like some measure of justice has been achieved. Teddy is suddenly expelled as a troublemaker, though, and he discovers that the investigation was an internal matter and the entire scandal has been covered up. Yes, the tale of a predator priest seems like one that's been done to death at this point, but Vasey is a master at probing the point at which harsh discipline turns to sadism, and vowed obedience to religious superiors turns to unconscionable betrayal. The 1959 setting of this Canadian import assists readers who follow the Church scandal in the news to understand how decades of buried dirty secrets can take so long to find the light.