Following the trauma of WWI and a failed marriage, Londoner (Tom Birkin) travels to the Northern town of Oxgodby to uncover and restore a church mural that is thought to be hidden under numerous coats of whitewash in the village church. At the same time, Charles Moon, another war veteran, has been employed to find a grave that is thought to be outside of the church burial ground. This Booker Prize winning short story ( 128 pages) takes a nostalgic look at the summer of 1920 and the ability of time, place and calm to heal past trauma.
Reviewed by
Reviewed by Nadine.
This book was really enjoyed by the group who thought it was well written and very evocative of past summers. It was described as being nostalgic, bringing to life the feeling of summer holidays as a child when every day seemed warm and full of promise. We found the book to be quite subtly nuanced with many different layers within. We enjoyed the unpredictable and unexpected within the story and spent some time discussing the contrasts and comparisons between characters and events that happen within the novel. The ‘timey, wimey’ nature of characters from the present, looking at their past while investigating a more ancient past was enjoyed. Readers enjoyed the condensed brevity of the book and the ‘spare’ writing style, where so much could be said by only a few short phrases. It was noted however, that however redemptive this month in the country was for the characters in the book, there is an inherent sadness as readers that we have not learned from past conflicts and that people today are still suffering the horrific consequences of war. Our rating was 8/10.
