Book: The India House – William Palmer

This has been a fascinating read at long last, having bought the book from the author during last year’s Birmingham Literature Festival, which is almost upon us again!It flashes back to India back in the day but is mostly set in the 1950s – and not the decade as I know of it. Julia is the daughter living with her mother and grandmother, both widowed, holed up in a house in Shropshire. She is utterly protected and completely unaware of the real world, with only Sunday church for an outing and Mr Henry, her well-read but insecure, live-in tutor as her only male contact.Everything changes when her uncle Roland arrives after his long suffering wife finally throws him out of the flat she pays for. This just at the time his son James leaves school and is about to go into national service. The book certainly gives me a perspective on a different England – one where there is no music, no socialism and no working class – this is what Julia is sheltered from.We find out about her father who died when she was young but now that she’s 18, her thoughts turn ever so slightly to boys. But she’s not even allowed to go the village on her own. And why her grandmother is so tight with money, despite owning the house and renting out land to farmers.This is a beautifully written, original book spoken through all the characters voices.8/10Smile factor 8/10