Book Blurb:
In twentieth-century England, many working-class people were victims of values and circumstances not of their own making. They were people to whom things were done to, not for. Billy and Tommy Jones and their mother, Mary, were such people. The boys were born out of wedlock at a time when such a thing was regarded as a disgrace -the sins of the father being visited on the sons. Neither boy knows they have a brother – it is to be a dark family secret between the Catholic church and Mary, the boy’s mother.
The trajectory of the boy’s lives takes them to different parts of the world where they suffer the consequences of circumstances beyond their control which they must confront and resolve.
Billy is injured in WW2, falls in love with his nurse, and is left struggling with shellshock after being discharged from the army. Eventually, through the kindness and compassion of strangers, he regains his health and, in a surprising turn of events, learns the truth about his birth.
Tommy is a victim of the British Home Child program and is sent to Canada when he is thirteen to work on a five-year indenture labor contract on a dairy farm in Quebec. When his contract ends, he travels to Jersey, a Channel Island, just before the Germans invade and occupy the island. To avoid capture and deportation to Germany, Tommy becomes resourceful in surprising ways.
The Soldier and the Orphan is a fast-paced, emotionally packed novel with strong characters and surprising twists. It will elicit unexpected tears of joy and sadness as the story touches on colonialist attitudes, discrimination, love, and tragedy. And for readers wanting an extra taste of mystery and suspense. The Soldier and the Orphan brews up a good share of deceits and secrets, and even murder as the novel threads to a powerful, heart-warming conclusion.
The Soldier and the Orphan will appeal to readers of all ages and backgrounds but will be of special interest to those who have traced their Canadian ancestry back to a British Home Child. Readers who enjoyed the Orphan Train and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will enjoy the unique plots and settings of this novel.
Book Buy Link: https://geni.us/thesoldierandorphan
Author Bio:
Alastair immigrated to Canada from England by himself when he was 19. He was a typical yuppie - family, house in the suburbs, and a big job in the corporate sector - and following London Life's Freedom 55 plan - he retired at 57 and went to live in the country.
A year later, disillusioned with the passivity of retirement, he shed his material possessions and went to live with a small First Nations band in a remote fly-in location in the N.W.T.
Cultural differences and a challenging environment ignited in him fresh perspectives, inspired a new way of being and fueled his soul searching. The experience changed the direction of his life and he wrote about it in his memoir: "Awakening in the Northwest Territories", which was to become the first book in the Boomers’ Adventures series.
Two years later he left the north and, motivated and passionate about helping others, went to Bangladesh as an International Development volunteer, and then on to similar placements in Nigeria, Jamaica and Guyana. With his new partner, Candas Whitlock, they co-wrote "Go For It – Volunteering Adventures on Roads Less Traveled" -the 2nd memoir in the series.
In between volunteering assignments, they backpacked Central America and Southeast Asia and co-wrote the 3rd memoir: "Budget Backpacking for Boomers".
In 2016, they went to Alert Bay, B.C. on a four month volunteer placement with the Namgis First Nation people. The experience was so profound that they felt compelled to write about it in their final book in the series: "Tides of Change".
From 2016 to 2019 Candas and Alastair were story tellers and entertainers. They created audio/visual shows based on their books and travelled extensively throughout S. W. Ontario presenting their shows to audiences in retirement residences, community centers etc.
In 2020, Alastair got a double lung transplant and with it a new lease on life. His historical fiction novel: The Soldier and The Orphan will be published in March 2022
They live in London, Ontario, and have five children and seven grandchildren.
Editorial Review:
Claire saw broken bodies in the hospital every day, so there was no reason why seeing another injured soldier should have caused her a different reaction, but it did. There was something special about this young man, Billy Jones, lying there, so damaged, and helpless. Maybe it was his red stubble hair and whiskers, or his ruddy cheeks with a generous sprinkling of freckles that caught her attention. Whatever it was, she felt drawn to him and had a strong desire to help him heal.
The Soldier and the Orphan is a conglomeration of several stories melded into one with the one thread of two brothers separated by religious beliefs, by circumstance, and by a world war. We meet Billy Jones, a red-headed soldier wounded in the war and rushed to a Paris hospital where not only does he lose some very close friends, but he meets the angelic nurse, Claire, who forms an attachment to him rather quickly. Their romance grows even as Billy struggles with his PTSD, of recurring images of the war, and the fuzzy memories of his past life. The reader is immediately thrust into a tragedy, one that separates the two young lovers after Billy is sent back to Britain. Thinking the worst and still recovering from his injuries, Billy becomes a 'rag and bone' man after years of homelessness and strikes up a friendship with an elderly woman on his route. Still, every day he pines after Claire, and each week Irene, his new 'grandmother', fills in some of Billy's lost memories. After another shocking revelation, that he has an identical twin... and what really happened between his mother and his father, Billy is determined to find his family.
“You know, Billy, life is a gift we shouldn't take for granted. I'm sure you know that better than anyone, given the loss of the life you've seen in the war.... There's always someone who needs us, Billy. It's as simple as that.”
In the meantime, the story veers off into two different tangents, the first being the story of Mary Jones and her summer romance with Ted Hart in Jersey in the Channel Islands. She is like a spring let loose after growing up under the tight grip of her extremely religious father. He is intent on her becoming a nun but Mary has other ideas... especially when she meets Ted. They fall in love and Mary discovers she is pregnant... yet Ted has his own secrets which lead to Mary's broken heart. When her father discovers her pregnancy, Mary is forced to give up one of her twins and she lives a life of secrets and hardships. She never sees or hears from Ted again.
On June 30, 1940, the Germans began their invasion of the Channel Islands. They immediately set about issuing proclamations imposing new laws on the residents. Mostly, the new laws were inconvenient, at first glance, it seemed that the Germans were allowing everyone to get on with their lives as if they weren't there... however, it wasn't long before additional laws with more onerous restrictions were enacted...”
Next, we are introduced to Thomas's story, the baby given to the orphanage, and how his life travels from orphanage to orphanage, and onward to Canada under the orphan program developed by Britain which saw more value in sending orphans across the seas than providing for them. Many orphans suffered from quite cruel situations, but Thomas is placed with a very devoted and loving family. In this life, Thomas thrives and grows into a very dependable and loyal young man. At the age of nineteen, he is set free of his servitude and determines to find his family back in Britain. His travels take him to the Channel Islands at the time the Germans invaded... and he ends up falling for a young Jersey girl and remaining there even as the war ends.
Unlike many of the children in the home who always seemed to be sad – haunted by past fond memories of parents and siblings – Thomas had no such memories to trouble him. He'd always been an orphan and for all his life he'd been ordered to do this, that, and the other, and, for the most part, he did what he was told. He accepted whatever happened without challenging it, even the harsh and austere conditions at St. Chads.
Ultimately, this is a story about reunions, about family connections and finding your roots, and remembering good memories even in the midst of pain. Mr Henry, the author, gives the reader an enjoyable story, one that can be read in one sitting, and weaves the narrative in a believable way... however, there are still a few plot holes left unexplained and some spurious characters which don't feel an actual need for the storyline. The initial tragedy which opens Claire and Billy's relationship is never completely developed to be truly believable but does by the end somewhat explain the reason for their lengthy absence from each other. You can get a sense of what the author was attempting to do but you are left a little bit wanting in this aspect of the storyline. However, again, for the most part, the story is entertaining and with the attention to detail about the Channel Islands and the farm life, anyone who is a fan of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” will enjoy this take on the events which take place during the German occupation. Thomas's story and his life as an orphan lend more to a deep narrative and developed character than anyone else in the story, and the author's notes on the horrors suffered by the orphans at that time are quite enlightening for anyone unaware of this part of British history. As a whole, this is an easy and light read full of lessons about family and love.
*****
“The Soldier and the Orphan” by Alastair Henry receives 4 stars from The Historical Fiction Company