Child 44

The Book

44 children have been brutally murdered - found naked with their stomachs removed and mouths stuffed with ground bark.

The true enemy in Tom Rob Smith's novel set in Stalinist Russia, however, is the state system and its ideological viewpoint. Having read George Orwell's 1984, the nightmarish scenario "Imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever" was one I was familiar with but wasn't aware how much was history.
The reason a killer has been allowed to get away with so many murders is because the state does not recognise crimes like murder - that is a capitalist weakness. As everyone is happy and content in Russia, there should be no need for crime. Each murder is treated as an isolated incident with no co-ordination and a convenient person who is not the ideal Stalinist citizen is rounded up, tortured until they confess and then executed.

 Leo Demidov is an MGB State Security Officer who has carried out these practices for years in return for advancement and security, but when a scheming, jealous partner incriminates Leo's wife as a spy, he is demoted and sent to a remote outpost for not agreeing (and thereby going against the State).
With nothing to lose, disillusioned Leo starts to investigate the true serial killer, but its difficult to get evidence when fear of the State is greater than fear of a murderer.
The final confrontation between Leo and the killer is rather a subdued affair following the thrill of the chase and a massive plot reveal, but everything is tied up nicely.
If you intend to read the book, don't read any further as I am going to reveal the twist...


The Film

There have been quite poor reviews for the film, but I thought it was pretty good. Much has been made of the Russian accents but Tom Hardy is always excellent and I couldn't find too much fault. The plot follows that of the novel with one major exception - it doesn't include the twist! The murders in the film involve the children being drowned, but nowhere near water, and their stomach removed. No explanation is given as to why the killer does this, apart from the fact that he can't help himself. 

In the book we are given an early scene of Andrei and Pavel, two brothers, who are so starved they have to eat bark. Whilst trying to catch a cat to eat, Pavel gets abducted and Andrei believes he has been killed and eaten. Pavel was intended to be served up to a couple's malnourished son but the son dies before Pavel is brought and they decide to swap - eat their son and bring up Pavel as their own. The son's name was Leo...

Andrei grows up traumatised but discovers Pavel is still alive, a hero of the State but he has never come looking for his younger brother. The forgotten and slighted Andrei begins to kill children in a way he thinks is sending a message only Pavel will recognise and that will ultimately bring them together again.

The showdown at the end involves more action than the book: Vassily, having peremptorily shot the killer, tries to execute Leo and his wife but a violent muddy fight ensues.In the book Andrei stabs Vassily to death and then asks Leo to kill him.

The film is quite dark as it is, so perhaps the added horror of cannibalism (Andrei also feeds the children's stomachs to his cat in the book) was too much for the script adaptation.

The other thing I noticeably missed from the adaptation was snow. It was constantly icy and snowing in the book with bodies found buried under the snow and footprints that led to new clues. Yet another thing to blame on climate change!

If you enjoyed the book, try reading 1984 or a Harlan Coben novel for good plot twists
If you enjoyed the film, again try 1984 or Enemy at the Gates