They are not Rotters, but Trotters. However, at school thirteen-year-old Ben Trotter inevitably becomes Bent Rotter; his older sister, Lois, does little better as Lowest Rotter. It’s harmless, there are worse nicknames around, and as they get on well, they are happy to form an exclusive Rotters’ Club. Youngest sibling, Paul, is excluded; his name doesn’t lend itself and, anyway, he’s a pratt.
Ben’s life unfolds between 1973 and 1978, taking him and his schoolfriends from adolescence to the brink of university. There are schoolboy pranks, embarrassing moments, unrealistic ambitions, sexual awakenings, and awkward encounters with the girls from the adjacent school. The parents also get a slice of the action, and the late 1970’s involves some interesting political events – the winter of discontent, the Grunwick lockout, the Birmingham pub bombing, Thatcher’s rise to power, and the miners’ strike.
The coming of age stuff is very good, while avoiding the obvious clichés. The setting is Coe’s familiar suburban Birmingham. The characters are believable, and the period detail is on point. It is real life that Coe depicts, where seemingly small incidents mean much to Ben, his friends, and his family. That means when bigger character defining events happen, the effect is all the greater.
Funny in parts,
occasionally moving, always interesting with cleverly woven narrative threads
interacting and complementing each other. In addition, a nostalgic read for
those of a certain generation.
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