Adele Wills

Miranda Miller’s ninth novel is her most autobiographical but written not as a memoir but a ‘novel of childhood in 1950s London’.The story starts in 1953 when Viola (or Miranda) is three and just starting to negotiate the complexities of the world around her, with her parents and three older brothers as key characters. The third-person narrative perspective sometimes takes Viola’s childish view of the world but also often shifts to the adults’ perspectives, allowing the reader to understand the bigger picture and the issues at stake. We are given, therefore, scenes that Viola would not have witnessed directly, although it helps us comprehend why the adults behave the way they do. In some ways, I would have enjoyed the novel more had it consistently taken Viola’s perspective and given us a limited viewpoint raising more questions and ambiguities (shades of Henry James’ What Maisie Knew).

And the issues are that Viola’s genteel upbringing is about to be threatened by a family financial crisis, which results in a move to a smaller flat and more constrained circumstances. In addition, Viola’s father is writing a memoir about a chorus girl who married a millionaire, and his long research visits to her home are putting increasing strains on his marriage.

The novel is an easy read and gives an insight into London life in the 1950s. The touch is light and often humorous. Class is a key concern, indicative of the time and shown in the contrasting lives of the family and their servants. The very brief portraits of the servants emphasise these differences. My main criticism is that, while the characterisation is interesting, I did not find it particularly sympathetic. However, overall, there is much to recommend this novel, particularly readers interested in the social changes happening in post-war British society.