22 Britannia Road: A Novel

Amanda Hodgkinson

Apr 2011 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

A tour de force that echoes modern classics like Suite Francaise and The Postmistress.

"Housekeeper or housewife?" the soldier asks Silvana as she and eight- year-old Aurek board the ship that will take them from Poland to England at the end of World War II. There her husband, Janusz, is already waiting for them at the little house at 22 Britannia Road. But the war has changed them all so utterly that they'll barely recognize one another when they are reunited. "Survivor," she answers.

Silvana and Aurek spent the war hiding in the forests of Poland. Wild, almost feral Aurek doesn't know how to tie his own shoes or sleep in a bed. Janusz is an Englishman now-determined to forget Poland, forget his own ghosts from the way, and begin a new life as a proper English family. But for Silvana, who cannot escape the painful memory of a shattering wartime act, forgetting is not a possibility.

One of the most searing debuts to come along in years, 22 Britannia Road. is the wrenching chronicle of how these damaged people try to become, once again, a true family. An unforgettable novel that cries out for discussion, it is a powerful story of primal maternal love, overcoming hardship, and, ultimately, acceptance-one that will pierce your heart.

Ratings and reviews

My rating of this book is zero stars. This book is a sad example of how a student of "creative writing" can tell a mediocre story about not so recent a past that contains a wealthy myriad of linguistic and historical hotchpotch, blunder and complete unfaithfulness to facts. As a native Polish speaker and versed on the annals of WWII I put it to the author that there is no such Polish female name as Silvana. What's more, the Polish alphabet does not possess the letter "v" at all! It is an interesting literary attempt to tie the character to the woods where she escaped to (silva, meaning forest in Latin), but unmistakably non-Polish. Next, there is no letter z with a lower tail like accent in the Polish alphabet. On the climate in eastern Europe, no human being can survive on his or her own the winter in Poland without adequate shelter. For example see the case of the battle of Stalingrad. The winters there feature an average temperature of -15 degrees for a duration of 4 months or so. But what definitely renders this book a hoax is the account, towards the final chapters, that British troops arrived on Polish soil. This is a fairy tale; where did Ms. Hodgkinson get this datum? You don't need to be a WWII history scholar to know, or at least learn, that Poland in its entirety was liberated by the Soviets, who pushed the Germans back all the way to Berlin and beyond. Michael T.

Heartfelt with insight to what suffering was endured by all during that war. So well written. Hard to put down.

About the author

Amanda Hodgkinson was born in Burnham-on-Sea, England, and lives with her husband and two daughters in a farmhouse in the southwest of France. This is her first novel.