Sunshine To The Sunless Find!
This is a blog for two of our members, Pat and Janet.
Janet ~ The main character is a teenager, Andy, who witnessed the deaths of 2 tourists, a father and son, in the quicksands of the Duddon Estuary off his home town of Millom. Only 9 years old at the time, he is haunted by fear and guilt that he was unable to help them at the time.
His own father, the "Razzler", described as having a purple mohican haircut, is understanding and wise in his efforts to help his son come to terms with his troubles. His grandfather, a former "Red Miner" helps him and is another great source of support, and wisdom.
The book has a wonderful sense of place and the descriptions of various localities around Morecambe Bay make this a very interesting read for local people of all ages. We are taken to Hest Bank, Ulverston and Conishead Priory as well as Hawkshead School and Millom.
An unexpected strand is the information about growing and producing new breeds of Daffodil, this hobby is Andy's introduction to the girl of his dreams, Angie. I felt that Angie's character was unlikely, she is a very talented schoolgirl having an affair with a much older DJ - why?
I would recommend this book to my 14 year old grandson, who has graduated from Harry Potter to works of realism!
1 September 2009 from Anne
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- Stumpy, Hero of the Lakes
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- The Highest House in Wathendale
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- A Lakeland Summer
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Having put on Janet's comments, I thought I ought to add that I have also read the book and found it a great read. It has truly captured the isolation of the town's geographical situation and the industrial wealth of its past contrasted to the present day lack of employment opportunities. For all that Millom is a town which has produced the noted poet, Norman Nicholson, many of whose poems give an evocative portrayal not only of the town and its inhabitants but also of the estuary and fells around it. So if you read Sunshine to the Sunless, tip into some of Nicholson's poetry too!
I, too, enjoyed this book immensely. It really is a gem. It also brings together many of the themes which have emerged during the course of our readings and researches, namely the perils of the Morecambe Bay sands, the iron industry of the west coast and its enduring influence today, and the beauty of this lesser known area of Cumbria. It is not just a book for teenagers.