A bleakly funny look at two generations of a British family, each shaped by the two world wars. The reader bounces back and forth between the two, as one sees why the characters from the older generation act the way they do (i.e., the “behind the scenes” motivations). But no matter which generation, it’s a hard-knock life to be sure, and disaster is always just around the corner. Money is always tight, and rationing is for real. And then we end up with the soul-draining Thatcher years. Sounds like fun, no? But it surprisingly is.
Ruby lives Above the Shop (pet shop) in Yorkshire with her parents George and Bunty and a diminishing number of sisters until the fire. Then all is chaos and various relatives. She does manage a golden week holiday with her cousins and an unknown “Aunt” Doreen though at the shore. Her father drops them all off at a Royal Crescent apartment to meet their caretaker for the week and hastens off. Bunty has once again pulled a runner.
‘Well,’ says Auntie Doreen, the one word containing more vowel sounds than we knew existed, ‘we better get unpacked girls, so we had.’ Patricia’s curiosity overcomes her usual social reticence. ‘Where do you come from, Auntie Doreen?’ and Auntie Doreen gives us the benefit of her big swooping choky laugh and says, ‘Why Belfast, Patricia, Belfast.’ Patricia disappears with the tea things so Lucy-Vida and I have to look to Gillian for geographical enlightenment. ‘It’s the capital of Wales,’ she says authoritatively. Doreen is no relative actually, but she’s a keeper.
Not an ordinary life, but not ordinary times either, and these girls are nothing if not resilient. Pour one out for her sisters though.
