Well written but slightly unsatisfying

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Michael Frayn is one of my favourite authors. His novel Headlong is masterful. The others are nearly as good. Here he writes well but I felt he was making too much of tiny events and wallowing in nostalgia

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1 person found this helpful

The son is father of the child

I seemed to have missed Michael Frayn completely before embarking on this autobiographical exploration of the relationship between a middle-class father and son double-act. A vague recollection of the name from The Guardian and a recommendation in a recent Saturday edition were enough to spark my interest.

Frayn and his dad are around 20 years in advance of my father and myself and socially in much better standing. What is really pleasing, however, are the very many small parallels that run between lives lived in slightly different times and different locations. The emotional distance of growing up and the closeness of growing old detailed in Frayn’s story were particularly warming. The trouble caused between and beyond the women in their lives once a beloved mother and wife had passed was particularly touching.

Inevitably I think, I thought about my own father - triggered by the small details. His response to certain stimuli to give a consistent opinion on things which never changed in his view (pizza was always ‘glorified cheese on toast’) delivered in a formal tone. When in the pains of cancer, Frayn’s father refers to having ‘a pain in the John-Thomas’ - which really knocked me out since it was a voice from my own past.

Overall, this is a lovely and loving book - it pulls no punches in portraying the irritations of family life, but concludes that we are all made better by having the love of a father to surround us.

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3 people found this helpful

almost unbearable sad

I did love it, although found it almost unbearable sad in places. Such a loving, generous, witty memoir. I'm going to listen to Michael Frayn's novels again now, starting with Spies, as I think it has resonance with this lovely book, and is also beautifully read by Martin Jarvis.

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Moving

A beautiful and moving book, made even better by the narration. I'm envious of Frayn's children, having such an eloquent description of their family history!

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Beautifully written....Brilliantly narrated....

I loved this book for the beautiful, poignant, and humorous writing. Martin Jarvis is possibly the best narrator I have heard on Audible. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I think I will listen to it again.

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