Another Man in the Street
More epic than historical novel, Another Man in the Street opens with Victor Johnson coming from the island of St. Kitts to London in the 1960s with dreams of becoming a journalist. After working in a pub and collecting rent for Peter Feldman, he finds his way into journalism with high hopes. We feel for Victor from the moment he boards the ship, but as the story continues, he becomes one of three major characters, including the landlord Feldman and his secretary-girlfriend, Ruth. Both have immigrated to London as well: Peter Feldman, released from a concentration camp in Germany as a young man, and Ruth from a difficult family situation in northern England. Through shifting points of view we see how their lives and personal tragedies impact one another. All three fight loneliness and face challenging circumstances with limited options. Their attempts to overcome their traumas don’t necessarily succeed, but they carry on with the courage of resignation, as Ruth says of Victor.
This novel spans fifty years. Dating the chapters would have helped, as it leaps over time and leaves gaps to be filled in later. With these three points of view, it’s hard to place Victor. Is he sympathetic, downtrodden, tragic, selfish? Only at the end do we again get into the head of that brave young man who sailed to London from the Caribbean. Phillips is a well-published author whose mastery of style and emotion is impressive, making Another Man in the Street a moving, powerful novel.
