TRAVELS IN TIME 2: The Generation Gap
Adults have fond memories of the books they encounter on their journey as readers. In this series Antony Quinton journeys along the bookshelves revisiting a variety of books that he borrowed from his local library while growing up.
Imagine my joy at exploring a new library at college. I was supposed to be studying for my A levels. I found a whole book about children’s literature written by Michelle Landsberg. Devouring its contents led me to a whole new world of children’s authors.
Janni Howker was one author Michelle featured in her exhaustive study of children’s literature.
Badger on the Barge is an anthology of five stories about young people who meet older people and are affected in a variety of ways after meeting them. All the young people rethink their opinions of old people.
In Badger on the Barge, one thing I immediately spotted is how much freedom and responsibility children in the early Eighties had. Twelve year old Helen is given the job of delivering harvest festival parcels to the elderly people who live near her school. Can you imagine a school entrusting teenagers today with such a task?
Janni Howker is brilliant at drawing characters. The family dynamics are sensitively captured. However, the highlight of this story is Mrs Trent. She’s a real hoot, prickly and defiantly self sufficient, but learns she must accept help sometimes. Like many of that generation, accepting assistance was seen as weakness.
"Oh, it's you." Miss Brady pushed open the cabin door. It was not much of a welcome.
"I've brought your worms, like I promised. Are you alright?" Miss Brady's face was as yellow as sponge cake and there were black shadows under her cheekbones.
"Course I am!" snapped the old woman. "Now keep your voice down, will you."
"Sorry," murmured Helen.
"It's Bad Bill," said Miss Brady. "Don't want to wake him. He's not in the best of tempers, bein' cooped up like this."
"Who's Bad Bill?"
"Bad Bill the Badger."
Reicker begins with two boys mocking an old and slightly scary German man. A terrifying crime occurs in the rural moorland community and both the boys and the old man learn that appearances are deceptive and you can do nothing about the mistakes of the past. But you can resolve to behave better. It’s an exciting story that’s like an episode of a Seventies crime drama.
Two stories tackle the awful consequences of aging— dementia and death. The Eggman and Jakey are both old men on the fringes of society. The young teenagers who encounter them are changed by their experiences.
In The Eggman, we meet two girls: Bridget is knowingly sassy and judgemental; Jane more empathetic. They are playing a game outside an old cottage. They discover that the Eggman or Isaiah Black is not the monster they think he is.
The truth is even more devastating for Jane. She realises that dementia is an awful predicament for anyone. As rates of dementia are set to rise, the story still has relevance. Mr Black's tragic tale reminds readers that we must protect our vulnerable and support our elderly neighbours.
In Jakey, a reluctant teen is staying with a strict uncle and a cheery aunt; (neither of whom have had children). The story explores the generation gulf between Steven and his relations. He hates it, and wants to go home. His escape from his ‘prison’ is helping an old fisherman struggling to make a living in a world that’s passed him by. The story is notable too for its sympathetic portrayal of Marret, a member of the travelling community.
Janni Howker is an extremely skilled writer at helping readers get inside the heads of her characters in these stories. You have no doubt how the young people think and feel about the situations they encounter.
Howker’s characters, young and old are beautifully brought to life. There will be more than one person whose story will stay with you. For me, Mrs Trent and Sally Beck – star of the final story – are the standouts.
The Topiary Garden is an unusual and superbly written story. Liz is stuck in a male world of motorbikes. She lives with her widowed dad and Alan, her crass older brother. After a nasty prank from said brother she runs away from the campsite they are staying in. She meets a woman who has an extraordinary tale from her youth.
Sally describes her teenage years at a time when attitudes to young people were very different. Although, some of the inflexible expectations on young people Sally dealt with in her youth still persist today. Sally Beck possesses a practical attitude. This includes a matter of fact approach when she negotiates puberty.
I appreciated Janni Howker’s descriptions of the worlds each young person inhabits. You step into each situation effortlessly. In the final story, she evokes all the sights and smells of a summer garden in lovely detail.
Among the trees the light was green and cool like water, and full of the peppery scents of ferns and brambles. Birds twittered drowsily, making the wood seem very still. She found a path which ran at the foot of a high stone wall, beyond which, she guessed, would lie the gardens of the Hall.
There was something secret about being in the green leafy stillness between the wood and the wall. It was a place for imagining things.
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