Think of Me
In 1974, widower James Acton accepts the position of vicar of Upton and Barrow End, near Winchester, England. Alone since his wife, Yvette, died ten years earlier, father and son enjoy a camaraderie which is apparent as Tom helps James relocate his grotty collection of belongings into the dilapidated vicarage. This easygoing relationship is shattered by the discovery of Yvette’s journals, hiding revelations which alter James’s perception of his life and make Tom question if he really knows his father. They tell of Yvette’s deep love for James and the tragedy which ushered in the ‘new’ James to whom she couldn’t relate. Seeking someone who understood her loss brought Yvette to Upton, unbeknownst to James, and years ahead of his new appointment.
Told in first person, the narrative alternates between James’s contemporary life, his backstory as a fighter pilot and POW, and Yvette’s revelatory journals. Upton houses a plethora of eccentric characters that James comes to know in his capacity as flock-tending vicar. When he finds a unique headscarf abandoned on a church pew, he wonders if it could have belonged to his wife.
The narrative, which explores how differently men and women process grief, unfolds slowly and thoughtfully, written in an easy flowing prose, flipping smoothly back and forth in time. Connections weave through the whole, propelling the story forward. Filled with symbolism about love and loss, bravery, faith, and abandonment, these tenets of everyday life are represented by leaking roofs, dilapidated buildings, Upton’s townsfolk, resolute archdeacons, and a scarf which links past to present, as the relationships unwind and re-form. Taglined as a WWII story, I feel it’s more than that, but its wartime background does have unexpected importance. An unusual and moving novel which has much to say about whether we truly know anyone.
