In a recent conversation with my parents, I mentioned that I wanted to start reading more classics. While I love many classics, including everything by Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, I find that I need to be in the right mood to read them. Consequently, I have a long list of authors I would like to try but just haven't gotten around to, such as John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemmingway. My Dad, a big fan of John Steinbeck, recommended an author I had never heard of, a Mr. Nevil Shute. The late Nevil Shute has written several books, many taking place during World War II or on the subject of aviation (Shute was an aeronautical engineer as well as a popular novelist). While I have only read two of his novels at this point, I now consider myself a big fan of Nevil Shute. Here is a little taste of the novels I have read- I hope you'll give him a try too.
On the Beach is perhaps the most well known of Nevil Shute's novels. After a nuclear war has wiped out most of the earth's populations, the few survivors await for the radiation sickness to come. Shute introduces some unforgettable characters in this book who all cope in different ways- a young woman who copes with levity and plenty of alcohol, a young couple with a new baby who plan next year's garden and find respite in day-to-day tasks, and an American submarine captain who finds comfort by pretending that his wife and children are still alive and well, waiting for him to return home. Some characters deal with their coming deaths with grim finality, while others cling to hope. Shute writes in a very straightforward, simple manner. He makes every word count, and the pace carries on despite the sometimes mundane events in the novel. This novel is almost anti-climactic, yet somehow that makes it all the more compelling. I found myself clinging to hope at times, while at other times I was overwhelmed with despair. This is the kind of novel that doesn't let go of you once you have closed its pages- it clings to you and makes you think. Wonderful.
The Pied Piper is a more exciting, suspenseful narrative, yet it is written in the same straightforward, highly readable manner as
On the Beach. In this novel, an elderly Briton travels to France for a fishing trip during the Second World War. His vacation is cut short, however, when he learns that the Germans are invading France. He agrees to take two young children back to Britain with him, and he soon finds himself in danger as the country becomes increasingly battle-stricken. As he makes the slow and arduous journey, Mr. Howard finds more children who are in danger, and before long he has quite the collection of children to take care of and bring to safety. The old man deals with declinining health, bombs, Nazis and intrigues. This is a wonderful novel - it is highly readable, and it has an engaging, suspenseful plot.
I'm glad I took my Dad's advice and gave this author a try. I'll be sure to take his advice more often in the future- at least on the subject of books!
