I loved this book but steer clear if you’re going through a blue phase. The main character has everything awful happen to him that you could ever possibly imagine and sensitive mothers of young boys, especially, will never stop crying if they start reading it. Hardened old boilers like myself who love a good blub, on the other hand, will relish the tragedy and get through it, not only without losing the will to live, but in fact emerging quite chirpy. What can I say? There need to be a few benefits to being a hardened old boiler!
only child Lewis manages to have rather a lovely time with his vivacious mother Lizzie while his father is off fighting in World War II. But when Dad comes back, things change. He’s a stern creature of the” children should be seen and not heard” and perhaps not even seen” variety. Which makes it all the worse when Lizzie is no longer on the scene. Lewis, until then a normal little boy, goes into his shell and never really comes out again. The only person who seems to have any time for him is Kit, a neighbourhood girl a few years younger than he is -but she has some serious problems on the home front herself. Everyone has already decided that Lewis, an undoubtedly troubled (but not without reason) kid, is a thoroughly rotten egg so how can he ever turn out to be anything but?
This is a debut novel from British writer Sadie Jones and despite its often menacing subject matter, it’s a real page-turner. What’s more, I gave it to the Ginger when I’d finished – I don’t often bother because he doesn’t usually like books I suggest – and he also read it with astonishing speed. Actually, he picked up a few plot issues I hadn’t noticed, so carried away was I with the story, but nonetheless gave it the big thumbs up – high praise from a bloke who usually limits himself to Auto Trader and the back of the cereal packet.
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