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Old Filth (Old Filth, #1)

Jane Gardam

Start date: December 15, 2011

Finish date: January 15, 2012

Discussion: Reading List

Discussion leader: Al Pope

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Dec 11, 2011 Pang rated it really liked it

Shelves: constant-reader

This was not at all a happy book. No uplifting of any sort. It was a story of a dying man, haunted by lonely childhood. Still it was a lovely book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was not aware of Raj Orphans, but its existence really sadden me. In case of Old Filth, he was not only a Raj orphan himself but also born into a family of Raj orphans, and even married one. His dad, his aunts, and Betty were all "Empire orphans." As he was growing up, he sought out love from friends. He was lucky and fo This was not at all a happy book. No uplifting of any sort. It was a story of a dying man, haunted by lonely childhood. Still it was a lovely book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was not aware of Raj Orphans, but its existence really sadden me. In case of Old Filth, he was not only a Raj orphan himself but also born into a family of Raj orphans, and even married one. His dad, his aunts, and Betty were all "Empire orphans." As he was growing up, he sought out love from friends. He was lucky and found the Ingoldbys. But then they made him feel like a complete stranger at the time he was most wanting in (when Pat died.) Despite the hurts, he picked himself up and carried on. He was a lucky boy and had many good (material) things happened to him, but I'm sure they weren't enough to fill the void in his heart.

Gardam didn't go into details about how Old Filth and Betty met. She was Isobel Ingoldby and Babs' friend, that we know. We also know that she wasn't faithful to Old Filth, but it wasn't clear if she had always been that way. My guess is that their relationship was not exactly "loving." Betty had her reasons to marry Old Filth, and I think Old Filth only wanted to have someone to hang on to. I don't think he knew how to love her or take care of her. She longed to be with someone else as well. I think in their marriage he felt lonely as well, but at least she was physically there with him so he didn't have to think much about being in an estrange marriage.

Two parts that broke my heart. One is when Old Filth was sitting in the hammock with Venessa (Clarie's son, Oliver, girlfriend), and they were discussing why he and Betty had no children:

It was deliberate. Think carefully before you bring children into the world. Betty and I were what is called 'Empire orphans.' ... If you've not been loved as a child, you don't know how to love a child. You need prior knowledge. You can inflict pain through ignorance. I was not loved after the age of four an a half. Think of being a parent like that.

And another is when Old Filth called Father Tansy over to make his confession:

All my life, Tansy, from my early childhood, I have been left, or dumped, or separated by death, from everyone I loved or who cared for me. I want to know why. ... I have begun to wonder whether my life of loneliness--always basically I have felt quite alone--is because of what I did when I was eight years old...

Even with all his fame and success, he could only think of his loneliness as he was near death.

Another enjoyable character was Albert Loss: "I'd be Albert Ross--I have Scottish blood--but I can't say my Rs, being also Hakka Chinese, right?" He was the only other evacuee on the boat to Singapore with Eddie. They bonded, but then he abandoned Eddie as they were landing in Colombo. I was glad to read the remnant of Albert Loss as the story progressed and elated to see the author brought him back as the attorney who gave Eddie the opportunity to go to Hong Kong. He wasn't the jerk who just took Eddie's watch and ran away. ...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Al rated it liked it

Shelves: 2011-books

I did end up really enjoying this. It was a bit of a slog at times for me though, but everything totally came together for me in the end. I am looking forward to reading the companion book, The Man in the Wooden Hat. ...more

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