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Father
In 1942 everything is going good for Tanner Hill. He has a good job, two healthy sons and a wife who loves him. As he makes lots of extra cash with his moonshine, he can afford many luxuries his neighbours cannot. And he’s not worried about conscription.
However, he soon realizes good things do not last forever. One argument after church with a disgruntled man with revenge on his mind and Tanner’s world is turned upside down. Forced into making a choice, Tanner chooses to follow his brothers and enlists. He leaves for the fighting so far away as a private in the Royal Canadian Engineers.
It will be three years until Tanner returns home. It won’t be the same.
However, he soon realizes good things do not last forever. One argument after church with a disgruntled man with revenge on his mind and Tanner’s world is turned upside down. Forced into making a choice, Tanner chooses to follow his brothers and enlists. He leaves for the fighting so far away as a private in the Royal Canadian Engineers.
It will be three years until Tanner returns home. It won’t be the same.
105 pages, Paperback
Published January 5, 2022
5 people want to read
About the author
Allan Hudson
26 books57 followersI live on the east coast of Canada. I'm married to a wonderful lady, Gloria.
I love reading and writing.
My short story The Ship Breakers received Honorable Mention in the Writers Federation of NB short story competition and has been selected by McGraw-Hill Ryerson to be part of their iLit collection.
In 2020, my short story, In the Abyss, received Honorable Mention in the WFNB writing Competition.
My short stories have been published in a collection titled A Box of Memories.
I have a series featuring Detective Josephine (Jo) Naylor. Book 1 - Shattered Figurine. Book 2 - Shattered Lives. Book 3 - Shattered Dreams and soon to be published, Book 4 - Shattered: The Final Act.
The Drake Alexander series, Wall of War & Vigilantes.
Historical Fiction: The Alexanders Vol. 1 1911 - 1920. The Alexanders. Vol. 2 1921 - 1925.
Father is a fictionalized version of true events during WW2.
Code Name: Iron Spear 1941 is a murder mystery set in WW2.
I am a contributor to the Path Anthology series. Autumn Paths. Winter Paths. Spring Paths.
Coming soon - One Bedroom Ark. The story of Jeb Coyne, a lonely widower and Olivia Fletcher - a seventeen year old single mother with no where to go.
I write as often as possible. I love adventure and change. I am fortunate to have a loving family and am a very happy man.
I love reading and writing.
My short story The Ship Breakers received Honorable Mention in the Writers Federation of NB short story competition and has been selected by McGraw-Hill Ryerson to be part of their iLit collection.
In 2020, my short story, In the Abyss, received Honorable Mention in the WFNB writing Competition.
My short stories have been published in a collection titled A Box of Memories.
I have a series featuring Detective Josephine (Jo) Naylor. Book 1 - Shattered Figurine. Book 2 - Shattered Lives. Book 3 - Shattered Dreams and soon to be published, Book 4 - Shattered: The Final Act.
The Drake Alexander series, Wall of War & Vigilantes.
Historical Fiction: The Alexanders Vol. 1 1911 - 1920. The Alexanders. Vol. 2 1921 - 1925.
Father is a fictionalized version of true events during WW2.
Code Name: Iron Spear 1941 is a murder mystery set in WW2.
I am a contributor to the Path Anthology series. Autumn Paths. Winter Paths. Spring Paths.
Coming soon - One Bedroom Ark. The story of Jeb Coyne, a lonely widower and Olivia Fletcher - a seventeen year old single mother with no where to go.
I write as often as possible. I love adventure and change. I am fortunate to have a loving family and am a very happy man.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 29, 2022
At the heart of this story is family and its complex relationships. To set the scene the author shares the arrival and progress of the Hill brothers from new immigrants to an established clan of descendents settled into a variety of occupations in the early 1940s Canada.
Times are tough for many and making a little extra cash, even if it is on the illegal side, makes all the difference to a growing family. Many are in the know… but it only takes one disgruntled customer to cause a life changing showdown.
With war waging in Europe, and for more reasons than just patriotism, Tanner and his brothers enlist and find themselves caught up in the campaigns to take strategic targets such as Sicily and the rest of Italy. Tanner’s story is shared in detail as he spends three years moving across Europe as part of the invasion force, facing danger and losses of those close to him. The detail included by the author creates an authentic and compelling coverage of the events during those campaigns, bringing home the effect on the men and women physically and mentally.
Contact with home is rare and a return at the end of the conflict comes with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety about what has changed in the years apart. Tanner has some truths to face that will force him to look at his own actions to enable him to move forward with acceptance and for the future of his family.
A recommended read.
Times are tough for many and making a little extra cash, even if it is on the illegal side, makes all the difference to a growing family. Many are in the know… but it only takes one disgruntled customer to cause a life changing showdown.
With war waging in Europe, and for more reasons than just patriotism, Tanner and his brothers enlist and find themselves caught up in the campaigns to take strategic targets such as Sicily and the rest of Italy. Tanner’s story is shared in detail as he spends three years moving across Europe as part of the invasion force, facing danger and losses of those close to him. The detail included by the author creates an authentic and compelling coverage of the events during those campaigns, bringing home the effect on the men and women physically and mentally.
Contact with home is rare and a return at the end of the conflict comes with a mixture of anticipation and anxiety about what has changed in the years apart. Tanner has some truths to face that will force him to look at his own actions to enable him to move forward with acceptance and for the future of his family.
A recommended read.
March 2, 2022
Father is a story about a family during WWII and the trials, tribulations and heartaches they must endure. The author gives a little background in the prologue about the large Hill family and how they first settled in Canada.
Tanner Hill is the main protagonist. He began as a bootlegger, making his own moonshine and selling anywhere he could without getting caught. He wasn't so lucky this one day after he confronted one of his customers and refused to give him a discount on his purchase. This disgruntled customer turns on Tanner and reports his illegal business to the authorities. In order to escape being incarcerated, Tanner enlists in the Royal Canadian Engineers as a Private. He manages to survive many close calls and looks forward to coming home but life at home will never be the same.
The author has created an enjoyable story around this family that kept me engaged. It is rich in Canadian history that made me feel as if I was there. I recommend this quick and entertaining read.
I was provided with a copy of this book which I reviewed without compensation.
Tanner Hill is the main protagonist. He began as a bootlegger, making his own moonshine and selling anywhere he could without getting caught. He wasn't so lucky this one day after he confronted one of his customers and refused to give him a discount on his purchase. This disgruntled customer turns on Tanner and reports his illegal business to the authorities. In order to escape being incarcerated, Tanner enlists in the Royal Canadian Engineers as a Private. He manages to survive many close calls and looks forward to coming home but life at home will never be the same.
The author has created an enjoyable story around this family that kept me engaged. It is rich in Canadian history that made me feel as if I was there. I recommend this quick and entertaining read.
I was provided with a copy of this book which I reviewed without compensation.
March 1, 2022
Set in rural New Brunswick during the Second World War, 'Father' tells the story of Tanner Hill, a happily married family man with steady work as a mechanic and a sideline as a moonshiner. A conflict after church one day leads to police attention to this secondary line of work, and Tanner, a few years older than the average recruit, decides enlisting is preferable to the alternative at home.
The book takes us into and through the latter war years, with the impact on Tanner, family members, and those he encounters. When Tanner returns, life at home has changed in significant ways, and all must cope.
This is not a text to be skimmed; every line, every detail, is there for a purpose and must be absorbed. The family history in the prologue grounds the story, and each event is significant. Characters are portrayed in all their strengths and weaknesses, without judgment. The war experiences focus on the pathos in each encounter. It is a quiet story, of the little moments. It held my attention, and remains with me.
The book takes us into and through the latter war years, with the impact on Tanner, family members, and those he encounters. When Tanner returns, life at home has changed in significant ways, and all must cope.
This is not a text to be skimmed; every line, every detail, is there for a purpose and must be absorbed. The family history in the prologue grounds the story, and each event is significant. Characters are portrayed in all their strengths and weaknesses, without judgment. The war experiences focus on the pathos in each encounter. It is a quiet story, of the little moments. It held my attention, and remains with me.
February 21, 2022
From small town New Brunswick to the battlefields of Europe, the struggles of the main character, Tanner Hill, kept me reading. The author’s knowledge of World War II and his sympathetic portrayal of Tanner’s strengths and weaknesses make the novella compelling and believable. An enjoyable read!
January 13, 2023
I must confess that when I bought this book, I thought it was a memoir about the author’s father.
It’s a piece of fiction but one that does read like a memoir. The events are all plausible and the telling of them is natural and not overblown in any way. Similarly, the account of the experiences of the protagonist when he was posted to the UK during WWII came across as completely authentic.
There was excitement, peril, humour and hardship in the tale, but what appealed to me most was the love story between Tanner Hill and his wife. They live through turbulent times and face challenges that were handled with a frankness and understanding that reached me in a way that an over-dramatic telling wouldn’t have.
It’s a piece of fiction but one that does read like a memoir. The events are all plausible and the telling of them is natural and not overblown in any way. Similarly, the account of the experiences of the protagonist when he was posted to the UK during WWII came across as completely authentic.
There was excitement, peril, humour and hardship in the tale, but what appealed to me most was the love story between Tanner Hill and his wife. They live through turbulent times and face challenges that were handled with a frankness and understanding that reached me in a way that an over-dramatic telling wouldn’t have.
April 25, 2022
A quick read that carries a punch. There are no wasted words in this tale about family and the effects of war on relationships. The characters are real and relatable. The main character, Tanner Hill, is a flawed individual, but one you can't help but love. The author paints a picture, with carefully chosen words, that takes the reader to a specific time and place. An enjoyable read, I recommend this book.
November 12, 2022
Set during World War 2, Father follows the experiences of Tanner Hill from 1942 through to his return home after the war. This novella starts with a prologue detailing the arrival of two Hill brothers in Canada in the 1840s and the lives they build for themselves in the New Brunswick area. Tanner has inherited from his grandfather, one of those two brothers, not only his name but his skill at making moonshine. Living surrounded by family, by June 1942, Tanner is in his late thirties, has a beautiful wife he loves, two young sons, a job as a mechanic and a lucrative sideline making moonshine. Life is good. But all this is put in jeopardy by the vindictive actions of a disgruntled customer and Tanner feels his only option is to volunteer for the Canadian army.
Tanner is soon shipped out to England and then on to Sicily. The narrative traces the progress of the war showing the human consequences of it through Tanner’s eyes. Pointed vignettes bring home the cost to both soldiers and citizens, even the enemy. These moments show Tanner’s character, his compassion and his strengths as well as his weaknesses which he excuses by thinking them the consequence of war, not the way he would behave at home in Canada.
The last quarter of the novel deals with Tanner’s homecoming. I found this section, in many ways, the most compelling with its understanding of the range of emotions soldiers faced on their arrival back home, their hopes of a return to the idyll the past had become in their minds challenged by reality. Tanner’s reactions are realistic and truly show the measure of the man.
The characters in Father are well rounded and portrayed sympathetically, their strengths and weaknesses shown. No one is wholly good or bad, even Lloyd McDuff, the man who turns Tanner’s world upside down – despite his unpleasant character there is a moment were the reader feels the desperation that is driving him.
Hudson’s unembellished prose skillfully creates Tanner Hill’s world. The descriptions of the physical environment, particularly in the Canadian sections, are beautiful and always tied closely to the action, enhancing the atmosphere.
There is only the scatter of something small through the dead leaves, maybe a rabbit, or a snake. Birds skitter in the canopy searching for insects and spiders, their chirp-like warnings the only other sound.
Father is, ultimately, an uplifting and truly human story that stays in the mind long after the reading is finished.
Tanner is soon shipped out to England and then on to Sicily. The narrative traces the progress of the war showing the human consequences of it through Tanner’s eyes. Pointed vignettes bring home the cost to both soldiers and citizens, even the enemy. These moments show Tanner’s character, his compassion and his strengths as well as his weaknesses which he excuses by thinking them the consequence of war, not the way he would behave at home in Canada.
The last quarter of the novel deals with Tanner’s homecoming. I found this section, in many ways, the most compelling with its understanding of the range of emotions soldiers faced on their arrival back home, their hopes of a return to the idyll the past had become in their minds challenged by reality. Tanner’s reactions are realistic and truly show the measure of the man.
The characters in Father are well rounded and portrayed sympathetically, their strengths and weaknesses shown. No one is wholly good or bad, even Lloyd McDuff, the man who turns Tanner’s world upside down – despite his unpleasant character there is a moment were the reader feels the desperation that is driving him.
Hudson’s unembellished prose skillfully creates Tanner Hill’s world. The descriptions of the physical environment, particularly in the Canadian sections, are beautiful and always tied closely to the action, enhancing the atmosphere.
There is only the scatter of something small through the dead leaves, maybe a rabbit, or a snake. Birds skitter in the canopy searching for insects and spiders, their chirp-like warnings the only other sound.
Father is, ultimately, an uplifting and truly human story that stays in the mind long after the reading is finished.
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March 2, 2022Thank you, Allan, for a highly entertaining drama!
A+ for characters development and all of the great details that appeared in your story. It flowed extremely well and kept me turning the pages to discover Tanner’s amazing journey from good old New Brunswick to Europe during wartime. You know your history well and I particularly enjoyed reading the details of Tanner’s comings and goings during the war.
Towards the end of your book, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how Tanner and his wife would ever reconcile their differences. You did an amazing job of bringing them back together. A must-read.
A+ for characters development and all of the great details that appeared in your story. It flowed extremely well and kept me turning the pages to discover Tanner’s amazing journey from good old New Brunswick to Europe during wartime. You know your history well and I particularly enjoyed reading the details of Tanner’s comings and goings during the war.
Towards the end of your book, I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how Tanner and his wife would ever reconcile their differences. You did an amazing job of bringing them back together. A must-read.
July 31, 2024
Very well written very close to the times
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews