22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
Published 22 April 2011 Fig Tree
Picked this one from the library and its been sitting on my TBR pile for some time. When I did *finally* get around to reading it, what a treat!
Silvana and her son Aurek arrive in England at the end of WW2 to join husband Janusz, a soldier in the Polish army who, having been based in England has decided to make it their home.
Janusz has bought them a house in Ipswich and works hard making a proper English house and garden for his wife and son who he had not seen for six years. But six years is a long time, and time changes everything.
I enjoyed this novel. The social history was interesting - the learning of customs, the neighbours' reactions, Aurek starting school. It is a portrait of post-war family life. Did not see the shattering confession coming and my heart went out to Janusz who had been trying hard to make his family whole again.The father/son relationship is very well portrayed - how Aurek saw this man as 'the enemy' coming between him and his mother. I can fully recommend this powerful family drama.
Amanda lives in France. 22 Britannia Road is her debut novel.
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