Starred review from July 20, 2020
British writer Myers (The Gallows Pole) delivers an exceptional postwar coming of age story marked by assured, poetic prose. Robert Appleyard, 16, ventures out on a summer backpacking trip from his town in Northern England before following his destiny to work in the coal mines like the generations before him. The detailed contrast between his “soot-streaked” home and the bucolic South Yorkshire bay area, where “the ocean was a gateway,” showcases the author’s gift for channeling his character’s perception. Arriving at the coast, Robert meets Dulcie Piper, a worldly, irreverent older woman—she’s counted among her friends Noel Coward and D.H. Lawrence—and ends up doing odd jobs for her in exchange for a place to sleep and the exquisite meals she prepares. Dulcie opens Robert to literature, especially poetry, and tells Robert about her love affair with German poet Romy Landeau and Romy’s tragic death. While cleaning out a shack on Dulcie’s property, Robert comes upon a manuscript of poems by Romy dedicated to Dulcie, entitled The Offing, which ends up altering both his and Dulcie’s lives. Myers beautifully captures Robert’s budding romanticism as well as his nascent interest in literature. More than a story of Robert’s transformation, Myers’s work achingly conveys a desire to live life to the fullest.