This is a short, meditative novel written in the first person, recollecting events in the narrator's childhood.
The instigating crisis of the story is the revelation, when he is six, that he is the offspring of an adulterous affair. His biological father has just gone off to war and plays no direct part in the story.
The main characters are his legal father, Robert, a man of generous spirit, his mother, relatives, and two contrasting preachers, one authentic, the other a monster of self-righteousness who meets with a grisly end.
Written with meticulous skill, as is typical of this author, this is a beautiful story that everyone will enjoy.
Autorentext
Gerald William Bullett (December 30, 1893 - January 3, 1958) was a British man of letters. He was known as a novelist, essayist, short story writer, critic and poet. He wrote both supernatural fiction and some children's literature.
Bullett was born in London and educated at Jesus College, Cambridge. During World War II he worked for the BBC in London, and after the war was a radio broadcaster. Bullett also contributed to the Times Literary Supplement. Politically, Bullett described himself as a "liberal socialist" and claimed to detest "prudery, prohibition, blood sports, central heating, and literary tea parties".