wˈʌn ʌv hɪz pɹˈiːviəs bˈʊks, ˈɛls, ˈɛn dʒˈuːlɪfˌɔːɹɾeɪlɪŋ, hɐdbɪn sˈoʊld ˌʌndɚ ðə pɹˈiːtɛkst ʌv bˌiːɪŋ ɐ plˈɛzənt, fˈæmɪlifɹˈɛndli kɹˈɪsməs bˈʊk, wˌɛn ɪn ɹɪˈælᵻɾi, ɪt wʌz hˈaɪli nˌætʃɚɹəlˈɪstɪk ænd dˈiːmd æz ˌɪnɐpɹˈoʊpɹiət fɔːɹ tʃˈɪldɹən, æz ɪt dɪskˈʌst θˈɪŋz sˈʌtʃ ɐz ɛkstɹˈiːm pˈɑːvɚɾi, sˈɛkʃuːəl ɐbjˈuːs, ɐbjˈuːs ʌv pˈaʊɚ, ænd ˈælkəhˌoʊlɪzəm.
One of his previous books, Else, en Julefortælling, had been sold under the pretext of being a pleasant, family-friendly christmas book, when in reality, it was highly naturalistic and deemed as inappropriate for children, as it discussed things such as extreme poverty, sexual abuse, abuse of power, and alcoholism.