Sam

This is a novel, considered autobiographic, about a boy growing up in Britain during the blitz.
It isn't really a genre that I seek out, but Philip Temple is an author of whose books I own around a dozen, and have read about half. His more common genre is non-fiction and often about mountaineering and exploration. He was born in Britain but emigrated to New Zealand where he still lives.

This novel is pure nostalgia - not for me, as I have no connection with London, or Yorkshire during the blitz, but for the author, and those of his era. It is so well described, although described very simply through the eyes of a boy, it is not hard to be drawn into this in a nostalgic way.

The loneliness of living in Yorkshire with his grandparents, his mother living and working in London, but unable to have Sam with her; having only one friend up there; receiving letters from his mother. Over what is a short period it becomes apparent his aging grandparents are not up to looking after Sam for very long. Temple plays out the story of Sam's father, not giving away the details quickly, and cleverly only alluding to the situation. It isn't hard to draw the conclusion that Sam's mother may contribute to her relationship issues with men, as this story plays out.

This novel doesn't paint a happy picture of the Britain of this era, but it reads very realistically, very true. A country in financial trouble, dealing with the war drain. The people are tired, sick of rationing and being unable to afford to buy things they usually have. Work is hard to come by, and so is housing. Employers and landlords have the upper hand.

The next step for Sam is joining his mother in London, where she has rented a bachelors room, or a bedsit, where she and Sam are living in each others pockets. But things go awry and they must move out - and his mother gets a job in a hotel. Unfortunately for Sam this is a live-in position, and children are not welcome, so he starts at a boarding school for boys. He is not happy here, and begins a cycle of running away, testing the headmaster, who tries all manner of treatments to stop Sam - from punishment, to empathising, to bargaining; all to no avail.

There is more, but my intent is not give away all the storyline. I was surprised how successful this novel and the writing style were for me. The relationships Sam has with his mother, grandparents, friends and those at the school are all awkward. He struggles with his internal thoughts, he is stubborn, and jumps to conclusions - all very realistic, and well articulated in the painting of damaged characters.

An interesting read. 4 stars.