"Danny Lamb is different - though its hard to say why - and Toby dreads being seen as his friend. Toby doesn't want to bully Danny and he certainly doesn't want to hurt him. But on a school trip to Normandy, close to the D-Day landing beaches, a harmless game goes dreadfully wrong..."
'Hangman' is a bleak story which believably shows the depths of depression and depravity teenagers can sink to. A quote from Mercedes Lackey comes to mind - 'He was being tortured. That's what we'd call it in an adult and I see no reason to call it by a lesser name in children.' This is my view from working with children subject to bullying, and it is certainly the view portrayed by Jarman through this book.
Old before his years, Danny is a sensitive, shy boy, with a flair for languages the other boys deplore. With a passion for life and learning rather than football and farting, Danny is an easy target for the prepubescent pack, boys too ready to follow the crowd rather than stand alone and be an individual. Abused an alone, Danny is mentally tormented day after day, given false hope that he might be finally accepted. The gang's worst trick could prove to be their last, as the situation takes a turn for the worse, heading down a path that could lead to an end to Danny's pain - for ever.