📖 Book Hunt | The Lunatic Son

A funny but poignant coming of age story set in the 1960s.

The novel is set in Gawmley, an imaginary town in the heart of what was coal country in South Yorkshire (jokingly referred to at the time and still fondly remembered as the Socialist Republic of South Yorkshire.) The protagonist is Tom Grey, an 18-year-old youth in the last year of his academic life at Gawmley Grammar School. Tom is the son of a miner, unsure of his place in his local community and uncertain what the future holds outside it. He is an avid reader, would be novelist and poet, a budding singer-songwriter who idolises Bob Dylan, anda generally cynical observer of his peers and the older generation. He’s a misplaced romantic, biding his time to get away from the demands of his teachers and his family and to find his own way in the world. The year is 1969 and the first moon landing is only months away when the novel begins, the symbolism of which becomes apparent as the story unfolds.

Tom’s quiet life of daydreams and apathy is shattered when he is approached by Gwen, the ex-girlfriend of his sometime best friend Matt Graham. Gwen has discovered that she is pregnant and recruits the less than willing Tom to break the news. Tom reluctantly plays the role of wicked messenger and informs his friend, whose fervent denial includes the strong suggestion that his once strong friendship with Tom is already frayed and close to snapping point. Matt is a promising amateur boxer, just two fights away from an ABA Final. Tom’s father, once a boxer himself, is Matt’s coach and his dedication to seeing Matt achieve his potential, exists uneasily with his disappointment that his own son did not pursue an interest in the sport. There is an element of resentment on all sides that will catalyse into a domestic catastrophe as Tom’s loyalty shifts towards Gwen, in tune with his growing attraction for the pretty redheaded girl.

Unlike Matt and Tom’s more laid back friend Harry, Tom is a believer in romantic love but struggles to resist the pressure of his hormones and his peers, which eventually force him into an unsatisfying relationship with ‘Sugar’ Lyle, civil servant and pseudo-hippy, whose sexual charms befuddle rather than beguile our hero.

Tom’s confusion only gets worse when his attempts to help and support Gwen are hampered by his generally pessimistic world view and emotional sensitivity, which often butts heads with her independent nature and her own emotional uncertainty. More complications arise when their spiky friendship is misinterpreted by friends and family alike, further disrupting his uneasy personal relationships and forcing things towards a violent conclusion that leaves nobody unchanged.

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