Sometimes, historical fiction doesn’t require crinolines or war. Two books this spring consider events of the 1970s – far away, and yet so near. Welsh author Lesley Parr sets her third coming-of-age tale, Where the River Takes Us (Bloomsbury), during an energy crisis. Everyone is shivering, the miners are on strike.
Young people have freedom, though, and recently orphaned Jason and friends swap the valley for the mountains – ostensibly on a camping trip, but actually lured by a cash prize for a photo of a mystery wild cat. While their adventure is dogged by setbacks and in-group rivalries, Jason is also worried about his older brother’s involvement in shady dealings, in an effort to keep the family together. But quick thinking, forgiveness and mercy win the day; Parr’s child protagonists are excellently drawn, their naturalistic speech dropping words such as cwtch (cuddle) into the chat.
