Analysis

Stone Cold, a novel by Robert Swindells, tells the story of two main characters - a homeless boy named Link and a serial killer named Shelter who targets homeless people. The events in the novel unfold in a chronological manner, starting from the point when Link leaves home and ending with him almost being killed by Shelter. The two narratives alternate until they eventually converge at a climactic moment.

Link is a homeless teenager who befriends Ginger, a boy who teaches him how to survive on the streets, and Gail, a homeless girl who is secretly an undercover journalist researching homelessness. Link also meets several other homeless people, including Toya, who later become victims of Shelter. The story takes place in modern times in the UK, with the majority of the events occurring in the winter months in the cities of Bradford and London.

The novel is narrated from the perspectives of both Link and Shelter, and their voices contrast with each other. Link's narrative is vulnerable and portrays him as a young teenager using slang and informal language, as well as street language to survive as a homeless person. Shelter's narrative, on the other hand, is hateful and threatening, and his language reflects his military background with the use of military slang.

A Short Summary

Link, a young man from Bradford, becomes homeless after getting into a fight with his mother's boyfriend, Vince. He decides to leave Bradford and heads to London, where he finds a room to rent. However, the rent for the room takes up most of Link's money and he is unable to find a job due to his lack of experience and limited education. As a result, he is eventually evicted from the room and becomes officially homeless. Without an address, Link is unable to find a job, and without a job, he is unable to find a place to live. He is afraid and alone on the streets, but eventually meets Ginger, another homeless person who helps teach him how to survive on the streets and how to beg for money.

Meanwhile, Shelter, a former army soldier with a plan to murder all the homeless people in London, has already killed seven people by the time he encounters Link and Ginger. When they ask him for spare change, Shelter becomes fixated on killing them and dubs them "Laughing Boy One" (Ginger) and "Laughing Boy Two" (Link). Ginger is eventually lured to Shelter's flat under the pretext that Link is there, injured, and Shelter murders him. Link is left alone again and eventually meets Gail, a homeless woman who seems suspicious to him. While Gail is making a phone call, Shelter invites Link into his flat and tries to kill him. However, Gail manages to save Link's life by calling the police, who catch Shelter in the act of attempted murder. It is revealed that Gail is actually a undercover reporter named Louise Bain, and she gives Link some money before leaving. Link is left feeling resentful that Shelter has a roof over his head and hot meals while he is left living on the streets, cold and hungry.

Character Profiles

Link

Link is the protagonist of the novel. He was born on March 20, 1977, and goes by the name "Link," which he got from a sign reading "Thameslink" when he arrived in London from Bradford. He refers to his birthplace as "up north" to keep it hidden. After a few difficult days of being homeless, Link meets Ginger, a streetwise homeless person who has been living on the streets for an extended period of time. Although Ginger helps Link survive on the streets, Link is uneasy around him and feels scared every time Ginger leaves him, suspecting that Ginger may be hiding something or going to meet other people.

Shelter

Shelter is a former sergeant-major who is on a mission to kill all of the homeless people of London, because they he considers they 'make the place look untidy.' He means too that there is nobody who does anything against them. On the contrary, politicians, social workers and even the church support them, undermining the country by encouraging "winos and crims".

Furthermore, Shelter does not understand why he could not stay in the army and serve the country, when all this garbage are allowed to stay on the streets. Shelter plans meticulously and practices his facial expressions so he can act empathetic and lure the down-and-outs into his house. He solves his biggest problem - the disposing of the bodies - by keeping them under the floorboards. Later in the book he refers to the victims as 'the Camden Horizontals'; this is the army he wants to create with "volunteers" only.
Shelter is the main antagonist of the book.

Ginger

Ginger is a homeless person with street smarts who befriends Link after they meet in a deep doorway. He has been homeless for an extended period of time and tells Link that smoking helps alleviate the pain of hunger. The two of them become close friends before Ginger suddenly goes missing.

Gail

Gail is a reporter who is conducting an investigation into homelessness. She meets Link later in the story after Ginger disappears. She slowly reveals her true identity as a reporter by making "urgent" phone calls, having a lot of money, and asking a lot of questions. When Shelter is arrested by the police, Gail tells Link her true identity. Link is disappointed and feels short-changed by Gail.

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