The Alteration by Kingsley Amis
"The Alteration" is a novel set in an alternate history where the Protestant Reformation never occurred, and Catholicism remains the dominant religious and political force in Europe. The story centers around Hubert, a ten-year-old choirboy at the Cathedral Basilica of St. George in Coverley, who faces a life-altering decision: to undergo a surgical alteration that would preserve his exceptional soprano voice as a castrato, thereby ensuring a distinguished musical career. The choice is complicated by the influence of his father, a devout Catholic eager to please church authorities, and the conflict with his mother, who opposes the procedure. Hubert grapples with the weight of such a decision, considering not just his future fame but also his desire for a normal life. As he seeks to escape the clutches of religious and civil authority, he finds support from his friends and the American ambassador, striving for a freer existence in North America. Ultimately, Hubert's journey leads to a bittersweet conclusion, where despite achieving great success as a religious singer, he reflects on the personal sacrifices and experiences he has lost along the way. The narrative explores themes of autonomy, familial loyalty, and the intersection of personal and institutional power.
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Subject Terms
The Alteration
First published: 1976
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—alternate history
Time of work: 1976
Locale: England
The Plot
Hubert Anvil, a ten-year-old choirboy in the prestigious Cathedral Basilica of St. George in Coverley, the most important religious city in England, is faced with a dilemma. Although he may have very little personal control over the decision made, it will seriously affect the rest of his life. Experts brought in from the Vatican have advised Abbot Peter Thynne that the boy’s soprano voice is so rare that it would be foolish to allow the child to mature in the normal way. They suggest that emasculating him would give him a distinguished musical career as a castrato.
Such a situation might seem irrelevant in 1976, but Kingsley Amis has made a single adjustment in European history. The Protestant reformation is presumed never to have taken place. Martin Luther, rather than leaving the Catholic church, becomes the pope, and Henry VIII does not take Britain out of the Catholic church. Not only is Roman Catholicism the official reli-gion of Europe, but it is the ruling political force, and the aristocracies still reign throughout the continent. Only in North America is there a more benign, partially democratic government in power, and a form of Protestantism is practiced there.
Hubert comes to the conclusion that however famous he may become, he is not willing to reject a normal life. It is not simply a matter of saying no, however; his father, a prominent Catholic layman, is eager to please the powers of the church, particularly when he is called to Rome, where the pope offers to take Hubert into the Vatican choir. Hubert’s mother is against the “alteration” of her son, but her efforts to help him are ignored, and the attempt by her personal chaplain (and lover) to thwart both the religious and the civil authorities is met with a swift brutality that marks the nature of the Roman Catholic regime.
The boy attempts to escape with the help of some of his school friends and the American ambassador. He almost succeeds in getting out of the country and making his way to a freer life in America. At the last moment, however, his desire to evade castration is thwarted by a cruel turn of nature that settles the matter. The novel ends, some fifteen years later, with Hubert as the greatest religious singer of his age, but not without some sadness concerning the opportunities and experiences he has missed.