Title: Scarlet
Author: A.C. Gaughen
Publisher: Bloomsbury (07 June 2012)
ISBN: 978-1408819760
This fresh and clever re-telling of the Robin Hood legend, is easily one of the best books I’ve read this year. I stumbled upon Scarlet quite by accident – it came up as part of a random search I was doing on Goodreads – and the stylish jacket and high reader ratings were enough to make me buy it on the spot.
In this case, judging the book by its cover was entirely appropriate. Scarlet has all the things I would expect in an action-based romance – a great plot, a terrific hero, a horrid villain, moments of suspense – but what makes this book really stand out is the author’s unexpected twist on the character of Will Scarlet, who, as you may have gathered from the book’s title, appears in the staring role. A.C. Gaughen, quite uniquely, makes Will a ‘she’ rather than a ‘he’.
I’ve always at a thing for medieval dramas – in books and on-screen – and can vividly recall watching the 80s television series, Robin of Sherwood, while growing up. I loved the horses, the swords and the fighting. No surprise, then, that I sat through the very mediocre Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves film when it hit cinemas in 1991 (although I must confess I thought Alan Rickman was bloody fabulous as the Sheriff of Nottingham). But neither of these interpretations of Robin Hood ever suggested to me that Will Scarlet was remotely effeminate. If I’m grasping at straws, I could point out that Christian Slater’s hair was on the longer side back then, but it seems highly unlikely that his ‘do’ was the source of A.C. Gaughen’s inspiration.
In any case, the gender shift means Scarlet presents Will in whole new light. In keeping with tradition, she’s still part of the band of Merry Men, robbing the rich and giving to the poor alongside Robin, Little John and Much, and just as skilled with a blade as the various masculine versions of Will Scarlet ever were. But, as you would expect, there’s a feminine softness to Scarlet (Scar) and her actions are tempered, realistically, by her sex; her abilities carefully matched to her physical attributes.
‘John’s mouth tightened. “You’re not going back to the prison without me.”
“You can’t squeeze into my entrances, John.”
“And you can’t quite take a punch, Scarlet.”
“No one’s been able to catch me to try it.”
“You caught the rough end of something one time,” he reminded, pushing his thumb over the thins scar that ran the length of my left cheekbone.’
Robin (often referred to as ‘Rob’ during the course of the book), John and Much all know that Scarlet isn’t a bloke, but the majority of those they seek to help in the face of the Sheriff of Nottingham’s crippling taxes have no idea. Consequently, there are some humorous moments when Scarlet’s masquerade forces her into some awkward situations with members of her own gender and, alternately, some dire situations that result from her being treated as she outwardly appears. However, the real tension that’s generated by Will Scarlet’s sex is realised in her interactions with both Rob and John. The latter is blatantly interested in a romantic relationship with Scar but the aristocratic Robin seems to understand and see her in a way that no one else does. Does he have feelings for her, or is his regard that of a leader looking after someone under his command?
‘Rob looked at me, and as were fair usual, I felt my heart jump. He has a way of looking at me in particular that I’m none too pleased ‘bout. I like slipping around and not being noticed. But Rob sees me. He even saw me before I knew he were looking.’
Scarlet cracks along at a fair pace from the first page, but it really hits its stride with the arrival of the repellent thief taker, Guy of Gisbourne, who is hired by the Sheriff of Nottingham to take care of Rob and his outlaws once and for all. Again, Gaughen throws in a nice little twist and we discover that not only is Gisbourne’s arrival bad news for the Merry Men, it is particularly bad news for Scarlet, who has prior personal knowledge of him:
‘“Gisbourne is the thief taker?”
I nodded.
“How had is that for me?”
“Bad.”
“And how bad is that for you?”
“Worse.” It popped out of my mouth before I could stop it. Rob had that effect on me.’
I know from looking at other reviews of Scarlet that the author’s choice of language has been a bit of a barrier to enjoyment for some readers but, personally, one of the things I enjoyed most about this book was the distinct writing style. The text is very much influenced by the period in which it’s set and, I think, works well because it gives Scarlet a clear, recognisable voice. You never forget who’s talking to you. That it’s her tale. Ultimately, though, your love or hate of A.C. Gaughen’s choice of words and the way they appear on the page is going to come down to personal preference and how you digest them when reading. A matter of taste, pure and simple.
Despite the fact that A.C. Gaughen wrote Scarlet for the YA (Young Adult) market, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to younger and older readers alike. It’s a love story – and we all need a bit of swashbuckling romance in our lives, no matter what age we are.
Tickle your fancy? Click on the following links to buy Scarlet from Amazon.co.uk (Kindle ; Paperback) and Amazon.com (Kindle ; Paperback).
