Always the Sun (Paperback)

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.

For the most part I found that the storyline plodded along ever so slowly. The main character, Sam, especially annoyed me because he seemed so ineffectual. I wanted to grab him by the collar and shake him into life.

Essentially, this is a sad story about a recently widowed man and his young teenage son, Jamie, who have moved house and are settling into a new life in outer suburban London. When Sam discovers that Jamie is skiving off school he becomes paranoid about his son's welfare: is he fitting in? is he coping with his mother's death? is he being bullied?

But he never seems to DO anything about his parental concerns, leaving Jamie to his own devices without truly getting to the bottom of what's going on and jumping to all kinds of conclusions.

I was so annoyed by Sam's wimpish character, I was almost tempted to abandon this book. But about three-quarters of the way in it suddenly transformed itself into a harrowing, violent and gruesome story that gripped me in the same way as seeing a car accident hooks the casual observer.

I can't say I enjoyed "Always the Sun": it's very maudlin and seems to go frustratingly nowhere until about page 300. But when it does take off, boy, does it take off. By the time I'd got to the last page I felt very unsettled and uncomfortable.

What Cross has written is a very deceptive book. On the surface it seems simple, with the prose bare and the plotline non-existent. But deep down it poses some alarming moral and ethical questions: what would you do if someone you loved was being hurt by someone else? how far would you be prepared to go?

If nothing else, this book delivers an important message about what happens when you decide to take the law into your own hands. But be warned: this is not a relaxing read.