A Particular Man
England in the autumn of 1945. Despite the victory in the War, life in Britain remains dull, austere and flat. The firmly middle-class Everett family in Suffolk suffers heartache when the son of the family, Edgar, is confirmed to have died as a POW in the Far East. When a former fellow prisoner, Lennie Starling, who was close friends in the jungle with Edgar, arrives unannounced at their comfortable house, events take an interesting turn.
The narrative is driven by Starling, Clementine Everett (mother), and Aida Everett, the headstrong daughter. There is infidelity, deception and misunderstanding aplenty as the characters attempt to find their way ahead out of the end of the war and a victory that somehow feels like defeat amidst the bereavement and general unhappiness.
This is highly capable historical fiction that is both set firmly in the times and a very absorbing narrative. The main characters, vibrant and credible creations, are well developed by Glaister to thrive in the mind of the reader. She has an arch humour and wry observation that reminds me of Kate Atkinson. The historical sentiment is good, with the dominating ambience of austerity and mourning mixed with the relief following the conclusion of hostilities and the expectations of recovery both in material and mental terms, constructing a charged cocktail of emotions for the main players in this excellent novel.
