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Sam steered the dirty-white hire van to the nearside kerb and killed the engine. Read the first page
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Its predominant flavour remains a father's struggle to live up to his son's expectations (and boy, this flawed, self-critical, fragile character of Sam who tries so damn hard to be a man for his son does grow on you) until the last 5 pages jolt you out of your wits. And it gives an absolutely new hue to the whole book-- it's really about how important communication is, between parents and their kids. How utterly secretive, reclusive and puzzling kids can be and how important it is to sit with them, talk to them, play with them-- the book made me realise how difficult and frustrating parenting can be. Here there is this father recovering from his wife's loss unable to decipher his son's ambivalent attitude and goes out of his way to meet his son's needs (pay off his son's bully, get a gangster to bump off the bully's dad, buy a Chrysler, a new house) when all his son required was counsel.
Cross's sense of place and time is commendable. And so is his commentary. Granted, at times the descriptions do get a tad useless and banal (especially in the first 50 pages), but the book does have a real atmosphere reeking of the modern day Britain towns. This and the self-deprecating tone of the narrator makes for a really compulsive read. The fact that Jamie (Sam's son) is as difficult to probe into for the reader as for Sam goes a long way in one empathising with Sam when tragedy strikes in the finale. Even otherwise, the characters are tastefully drawn and written in honest, lively prose.
But that said, the title of the book is quite amusing and it is after reading the book that I realised the significance of the cover-- an upturned tie noosed around the title -- a befitting design for a childman trapped in the intricacies of parenthood and bringing up a child. I am quite disappointed by the misleading blurb-- the book is not about bullying (yes, there's an undercurrent, but the route that the book finally takes deserved more recognition by publishers). Its about mysteries of children, their world, the way the loss of one parent and the company of a confused one could lead them to utter oblivion and its also about being a father, about being a man.
Quite thoughtful, very gritty and definitely worth your time. So glad I trusted my sixth sense.
PS: Sad that this never got to the final six at the Man Booker Prize despite being longlisted.
Resolving to intervene Sam puts a series of events in motion to confront those responsible and it’s here that Always the Sun really takes of and examines both deep parental love and moral choices. In the final quarter Cross twists the narrative effortlessly and having reconciled myself with an expected ending the rug was superbly pulled from under me leaving me with a whole different set of feelings to wrestle with to the ones I anticipated, superb.
That's the point.
Overwhelmed with protectiveness, he sets out on his one man crusade to protect his son from pictures in his head. He doesn't ask Jamie if he's being bullied. He doesn't bother to find out what Jamie's problems are. Sam's actions are selfish and self-indulgent. He's proving he's a good father before actually being one.
I condemned the book as poor melodrama - wonderfully written but unrealistic. And then the ending stopped my breath. And it all made sense.
I don't know about anyone else, but I got the distinct feeling that the author had overused... Read more
I found the storyline drew me in and kept me hooked wanting to keep on reading to finish in one sitting,... Read more
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