By the Line

by Thomas Kennealy

Schoolboy narrator Daniel Jordan, growing up in working-class Sydney during the Second World War, is confused by a world in which the religious dogma of his school conflicts with the communism of his family's terrifying neighbour, the 'Comrade'. Refreshingly unsentimental, this is the funny, ultimately tragic story of a boy struggling to understand a world in which concepts like innocence and guilt, good and evil are clearly open to interpretation.

Paperback

First published October 10, 2013

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Keneally (with one 'N', despite how Goodreads has it) released 'By the Line' in 1989. It's got a Boys Own verve that suggests a book by a younger author, which Keneally had been - this was originally published as 'The Fear' in 1965 before being repackaged after his Booker Prize success. The brawls, threats and action for the most part make it pacy to read. If you want a quick read with plenty of action, this should do the job

Trains seem to make a regular appearance in Keneally's books - this one was not as powerful as 'Schindler's Ark' but considerably better than I remember 'The People's Train'. It's main interest to me was that it offers a fresh take on WWII, seen from the Australian domestic perspective. Home soil may have largely been spared (Keneally's writing being my main source, so others may want to correct me!) but the sense of threat at the prospect of Japanese landings was well-made. Domestic strife is in abundance, in a book that reflects how geopolitical events overlay but don't necessarily drive intensely-felt emotional lives at a local level. Intra- and inter-familial conflicts take centre stage in 'By the Line', with the war consigned to the periphery (albeit with Danny's father fighting overseas, a munitions truck and war-linked poverty all helping to drive the plot).

My main criticism is that the characters felt overdrawn. The brutal father, strident fishwives, and chipper children had a comic book thickness of outline, which was finally let down a little by the predictable yet still overblown denouement. The boxing scene is typical: we get a hero and a villain, just too neatly set in counterpoint to the revolutionary failings of After Penelope Fitzgerald, the zest of Keneally's tale about missing weapons and misplaced loyalties was refreshing. I would read it again in the right mood.

[Jo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I decided to read this because it was written by the same author that wrote the book that inspired Schindlers List. Unfortunately the writing did not inspire me so I did not finish it.