Review of The Alteration by Kingsley Amis

Kingsley Amis is not a known author in households where science fiction or fantasy rule. A staunch Brit with Oxford pedigree and steady hand in politics, he doesn't spring to mind as such a writer. And to be fair, I assume neither would Amis himself associate with the common understanding of said genres. The vagaries of time being what they are, however, means Amis has a toe across the line whether he likes it or not. That appendage is the alternate history The Alteration (1976). It's (ironically) such a relevant work today that perhaps it should even have an additional appendage over the line?

Ten-year old Hubert Anvil possesses the voice of an angel. His singing touches the heavens, and the Catholic church of Amis' alternate history Europe intends on keeping it that way. They propose castrating Hubert, preserving his pristine voice, rendering him a eunuch in the cause of the church til the end of his days. Hubert's father, an aristocrat dependent on his relationship with the church, reluctantly agrees, while his brother advises him not to—“Sex is good.” being his standby argument. But things are more complicated than just pleasure, forcing young Hubert into dire straits that he will eventually emerge from, just in what form?

The Alteration is an excellently written novel. Amis sets the scene: a modern Europe in which the Reformation did not occur, leaving the Catholic church its iron hand. He establishes the ideological conflict: to castrate or not to castrate a child in the name of an ideology. Dramatis personae around the child are introduced. And then, Amis sets these pieces in motion by putting Hubert's agency through the gears. This is all conveyed through tight prose which coalesces theme: the challenge of extreme ideologies in the context of human physical autonomy.

An issue with The Alteration today is, the world has evolved since 1976. The church has lost significant cultural presence in that half-century. They have made concession after concession to modern society, dealt with child abuse scandals, and are struggling to maintain relevance in the globalized, digital era. They are no longer the powerhouse of Amis' era. In some form of irony, castrating children is now the remit of modern progressive ideologies, the church, in fact, one of its biggest adversaries.

I will not take this review on a political tangent. But what I would say to potential readers is, juxtaposing the novel on modern cultural wars, as opposed to the Catholic context Amis provides, offers interesting food for thought, indeed.

One (non-political) tangent I will take regards Amis' alternate history. Wikipedia has a breakdown of all the ways Amis deviates from known history. I have zero interest in this sort of thing, but for the reader who does, it's 'science-fictional'—eye kicking as the Sterlingite kids say. The meta comment I want to make is on Amis' shout outs to established science fiction. He specifically calls out PKD's The Man in the High Castle, then posits his own alternate history acronyms replacing sf. There are two types in The Alteration, CW (counterfeit world) and TR (time romance)—both verboten types of fiction to the draconian Catholic church. Fun stuff, that counterfeit world fiction!

The Alteration is, if anything, a unique novel. It's not every day you read a story hinging on castration. And while the topic has retained real-world relevance for reasons different than Amis', the story still highlights the differing perspectives on the subject in clear, human fashion while offering a narrative that wants the reader to turn pages—something you may not have thought possible given a 10-year old chorister is the main character. Amis' climax and conclusion to Hubert's story is pitch perfect (pun intended), subtly scathing yet realist. An overlooked novel worth reading, especially in the early 21st century.