A review by sarahmatthews
Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin

mysterious

Uncle Paul by Celia Fremlin

Read on audio

Narrator: Clare Corbett

Pub. 1959, 249pp

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I loved this novel - very British, very quirky, full of brilliant characters, excellent descriptions, dark humour and fabulous dialogue.

It’s about sisters Meg and Isabel, and their older half sister Mildred who brought them up. There’s a mystery here that bubbles along but the main thrust of the story is in the interplay between the sisters; along with Isabel’s children and second husband, plus Meg’s new boyfriend Freddie.

The novel begins with Meg being called to aid Isabel who’s having a crisis on her caravan holiday on the English coast because cantankerous Mildred has turned up and is causing a stir.

The writing is wonderful, perfectly capturing the drudgery of a rainy summer holiday:

“For a moment meg could have thought that her ill timed suggestion had stirred into clockwork life, not only Isabel but the caravan itself. For it began to lurch, and groan, and a thunderous clumsy movement on the steps outside set the counters shuddering on the Ludo board, and the door burst open to omit a swirl of rain, a plastic mackintosh and a flapping surge of newspaper. This invasion resolved itself within a few moments into Mrs Hutchins, her golden curls still miraculously neat under the sheltering newspaper, and in her hand, a sodden telegram.”

I particularly enjoyed reading about the mysterious, bohemian Freddie, who turns up unannounced, scrambles some eggs in the caravan when nobody is there, and checks into the hotel on a whim.

Children are also written so well, with the saga of Sharky who lives under the caravan, and the know-it-all Cedric who answers back to the adults and annoys them with his endless card games laid out in their way all over the communal lounge.

This is a bit like The Fortnight in September by R. C. Sheriff with a dark twist, highly recommended!