The Week at World’s End
This middle-grade novel is set in October 1962, when the world was on tenterhooks, waiting to know whether it would continue to exist due to the Cuban missile crisis, a time and subject rarely tackled in children’s literature (the only exception that comes to mind being David Almond’s The Fire-Eaters) and very relevant in today’s international situation. The reference to ‘world’s end’ in the title refers both to this threat and to World End’s Close, the local context for the action of the story.
Stevie finds a mysterious stranger in the coal shed, and the well-constructed plot involves unravelling their identity against the background of concerns about what is happening in the wider world. The father of Stevie’s friend Ray is an African American working at a local airbase, and this enables the interweaving of references to American culture and politics, including the growing civil rights movement, into the story. Attitudes towards the political situation on the part of different characters form a strong thread throughout the novel. Ray’s father’s faith in President Kennedy is severely shaken. Stevie’s sister Bev becomes a strong supporter of peace protests and brings family and friends along with her. Most significantly, Stevie herself finds her voice after reading a letter left for her by her late father in which he explains about the illness that led to his death and encourages her to speak out publicly about what she believes in.
From the start, period details are well-evoked by mentions of contemporary furniture and fashions, Mods and Rockers, Lambretta scooters, listening to the Beatles on the radio, watching Z-Cars on television and a number of cinematic references. The warm relationships between the well-drawn characters and the conversational style mean that, although the subject matter is serious, this is not a heavy read.
