Sons from Afar

The Tillermans again - this time with Dicey at college and James increasingly determined to trace the father he never knew. His dissatisfaction with himself stimulates him to try to discover what he can of his intellectual and emotional inhertance in an effort to explain what he sees as his failure to communicate, his tendency to hide behind his desire to succeed - which, in itself, is a subterfuge. When his younger brother Sammy joins his search they discover - through disappointment, frustration and danger - far more about themselves than about their father. Indeed, his elusiveness becomes necessary - without firm knowledge James has to rely on his own resources to overcome his emotional frailties. The book, though crafted in Voigt's superbly inimitable style, is rather daunting in its introspection and likely to deter younger or less able readers who prefer the emphasis to be on action. Its subtle and exhaustive analysis of character places it in the wider reading component of GCSE Literature.