Squire Archie's Rectory Christmas, by Harper Fox

Squire Archie's Rectory Christmas by Harper Fox

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Possible spoilers.
I love this book. That it both deals with the homophobia rampant in the 1940s in England and elsewhere and that it is about the ongoing love story between Squire Archie and Arthur Denby in such times, gives it a strength that is worth noting. No, this isn't a polemic, but rather it shines a line on the personal costs of a homophobia protected by law and custom.

This is a fairy tale and a tale of the old gods and goddesses and the myth that is a part of the mental and physical landscape of Droyton. This town, especially those whose lives are centered on the rectory, accepts these two men as just that two men who love each other. Is this realistic in post-World War II Britain? I don't know, but I sort of doubt it. That this acceptance and protection comes on Christmas Day adds the adjective of miraculous.

Perhaps then, this story is aspirational: here is how we could live.

Fox fans, take note.
Recommended.

PS: I finished reading it on Christmas Eve--on purpose.



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