First published 2006
Jason Taylor lives in what feels like the sleepiest village in Worcestershire, but his thirteenth year proves anything but quiet. The year 1982 brings Cold War tensions that play out in schoolyard politics and frozen lake games. Jason sneaks through summer backyards at night, watches the Falklands War unfold on television, and deals with bullies like Ross Wilcox and his girlfriend Dawn Madden. An eccentric elderly emigré named Madame Eva van Outryve de Crommelynck enters his world, bringing mysteries of her own. Jason faces the panic of replacing his dead grandfather's broken watch before anyone discovers what happened. He experiences first cigarettes and first kisses while Duran Duran plays in the background. Gypsies camp in nearby woods, stirring local fears. Margaret Thatcher's recession squeezes the community. Closest to home, Jason watches his parents' marriage dissolve across four seasons. David Mitchell captures a boy caught between childhood and whatever comes next in a England itself transforming.
Genres: 20th-century, coming-of-age, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Worcestershire, England, Falklands
Period: 1982
300 pages · ebook · Sceptre