A Quiet Life

The life of a family consisting of two parents, Joe and Connie, and their two children, Madge and Alan is shown in this book by Beryl Bainbridge. A Quiet Life describes the ups and downs of the family after WWII. Joe once had a great business, but after some events in the war, he is now bankrupt and is listening to the `wireless', as they called it (radio in our days). Connie, a woman who married Joe years ago because of his wealth, is now a very strict lady who reads novels at the train station alone every night, while during the day, she drinks tea. The daughter, Madge, is a girl who walks along the mine-filled seaside every night. She is a girl who is trusted by her mother, who often believes the lies of Madge, making her able to get away from the troubles she has done. Lastly, the main character is Alan, who is a 17 year old teenager who falls in love with Janet, another girl in his school. The main idea of the book is shown in the title, A Quiet Life, because it is about Alan, trying to have his own life different from the kind he grew up in. Why he wants his own life is because there is a lot of chaos going on around the house that he has to put up with and try to live through them everyday. Starting with Alan and Madge meeting each other inside the café, a shift is made to the actual life these two children grew up in. With his father constantly getting upset with the family and his leftover wealth, things inside the house are often thrown around, while the two children always try to get out of the scene. During the story, Alan often argues with his sister about going to see a German P.O.W and almost causing a disaster for the family. These are only some of the problems that occurred within this spoiled family. This book has really grabbed my attention once I started reading it, because the plot is based on real life problems within a family.

This was my first exposure to Beryl Bainbridge; a friend reccommended another of her books to me, and this was the first one I could find in the library, so I picked it up. I've read a few more since then, and while this isn't her best book, it is still a solid read, moving, disturbing, and darkly comic by turns. There's not a whole lot of plot, but there is a story that pulls you along, and the characters are sketched out brilliantly. I can't remember the last time I read something that was quite this disturbing without ever being blatantly violent or horrorific; it's more about the evils people do to themselves and others in the real world than anything. I wouldn't necessarily suggest starting with this book if you're new to the author; but then, I did, and I'm a huge fan. Definitely worth a look.