Angel of Grasmere
Tarn’s brother, Joss, is believed to have died in the retreat from Dunkirk. In this novel, set between 1940 and 1942, we find out what actually happened to Joss and the consequences of that for him and his family. We meet Tarn, Joss’s younger sister, on the day of his memorial service. Aged eleven, she is lost in grief and rage. As a girl, she is not even allowed in the church for her brother’s military memorial.
Tarn’s only solace in her grief is her friendship with Peter and Eric, the evacuee who is staying with him. Tarn and Peter have always said that they will go off exploring far-flung places together when they have both passed the local grammar school exam. Will this happen, or will events intervene, and who is the anonymous angel of Grasmere who performs good deeds for the community at an increasingly dark time?
This is a beautifully crafted novella, longer than is usually published by Barrington Stoke. It deals with some serious themes such as PTSD and the notion of cowardice in war as well as what happens when someone is recovering from a serious accident. The two overarching themes are grief and identity, however.
Tom Palmer has a reputation for writing skilfully about war – in this book it is richly deserved.
