22 britannia road by amanda hodgkinson
Congratulations to Liza Hawkins, blogger at (a)Musing Foodie for winning the author autographed copy of 22 Britannia Road! See details for how to win July’s giveaway selection: https://pleasureinsimplethings.com/book-giveaway/
Amanda Hodgkinson’s first novel did not have a common beginning. It was accepted by the first agent she contacted and taken on by a publisher almost as quickly. Not a common story; but not a common book. Many critics are comparing Ms. Hodgkinson’s work to that of Tatiana De Rosnay in Sarah’s Key and, I must admit, I enjoyed it with the same enthusiasm.
The British author, now residing in France, made two Connecticut stops while in the United States. One of these was at Fairfield University. It was at this visit, sponsored by the University’s MFA in Creative Writing program, that I had the opportunity to hear Ms. Hodgkinson speak about herself and her New York Times bestselling debut novel.
A photo of Amanda Hodgkinson, author of “22 Britannia Road.”
Ms. Hodgkinson’s sparkling personality lit the room as she spoke to a crowd comprised of, largely, writing students. Her own experience attending an MFA program was while her children were small. She credits the formal training for giving her validation and the confidence to continue pursuing her profession. One particular professor she had announced to her “you will be a writer.” For Ms. Hodgkinson, hearing she had what it took to be a writer gave her the confidence to go forward. The formal writing program she attended was very unstructured, and she credits her experience as a journalist with helping her to condense her ‘ramblings.’
Ms. Hodgkinson has been writing a weekly column for a paper in France, where she has resided for the last six years. Her husband lured her to France with the promise of a place to write ‘among the sunflower fields.’ This first novel, 22 Britannia Road, tells the effects of war on a family during peace time; a family desperately trying to put itself back together after the Second World War. Silvana and Janusz are young newlyweds when they are separated…Silvana and her infant son, Aurek learn to survive by disappearing into the forests of Eastern Europe, while Janusz serves in the war and flees to France. At the war’s end, Janusz decides to search for his wife and son. When the family is reunited, they travel to England together for a fresh start, struggling to create a home. But, as time goes on, many secrets are revealed to strain what little holds the family together.
Written in present tense, the novel slowly reveals the past with the back-story within the novel…alternating between the past and present, showing how the past influences the present. The novel smoothly switches between the three character’s (mother, father, and son) points of view, taking the reader into war time and what happens as its result.
Though she did not experience the effects of war time herself, the aspects of relocating to a new country were very real to Ms. Hodgkinson. She relocated to a new country at the same time she was working on the novel…moving to France with her husband and daughters – where she did not know the language or country – much like the family she portrays in this post war novel.
I was thrilled to get the chance to meet Amanda Hodgkinson during her visit to the U.S. and I look forward to her next piece of work.
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson is a wonderful debut novel. I would love to hear your reactions to the book after you read it!