#1 of the A Relative Invasion trilogy
Fictional saga
WWII
England
“In 1937, England, the threat of war in Europe
is matched by that at home for five-year-old Billy. His battle begins when he
is introduced to his frail and artistic cousin, Kenneth. Adored by adults for
his porcelain looks and toothpaste smile, Kenneth is a psychological bully.
Smaller than Billy, although older, he displays the same emotions that allow
Hitler’s rise to power – envy over strength, desire for new territory. With
emotionally distant parents, a bullying uncle and a manipulative cousin, Billy
starts to stutter. Unexpected challenges lie ahead and Billy must learn to meet
them.”
Billy has a lot
to deal with, and Ms Minett very skilfully handles the various traumas that beset this poor little
boy. Bullying, parents who do not seem to care – the war itself. Today it is
unlikely that any Western parents would send their child or children off to
live with total strangers – I find the thought of evacuation horrifying – but
then, so was the London Blitz. Billy survives the horrors that are thrown at
him by crawling into his own shell, his own imaginative world where he has the
protection of a special talisman.
I enjoyed the
first of Ms Minett’s trilogy, and will go on to read the next two, Infiltration
and Impact (reviewed on DDRevs a while ago) if for no other reason
than to find out how Billy manages to survive (assuming he does!) The detail of research
seems to be immaculate, and the characters and events very believable. I took to Billy, wanted to hug him throughout the book.
© Ellen Hill
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