The December Boys

The December Boys is a model of poetic eccentricity, whirling around a cast of unlikely yet utterly memorable characters who inhabit Captain’s Folly, a collection of temporary dwellings set up by those who were victims of the economic Depression which ravaged Australia in the 1930s. The eponymous protagonists are five orphans sent to this part of the coast for a summer holiday away from the depressing confines of St Roderick’s and the stricture of the nuns who have charge of them.

They are set to enjoy their two months of freedom but their pleasure is destroyed by a remark overheard by chance in which the possibility of adopting one of the boys is raised. Thereafter, a bitter contest is waged for the affection of the prospective adopters, during which lifelong bonds of friendship are threatened and the dreams and innocence of childhood are soiled.

The December Boys is a vivid, evocative book which perfectly captures the intense and mysterious companionship of children, always avoiding sentimentality and cliché.