Brother in the Land - Robert Swindells

I first read Brother in the Land by Robert Swindells a good number of years ago. I borrowed a copy from the library and was instantly impressed the writing and unsettling subject matter. When I was asked to read the new edition, to review for the library I now work at I agreed, and prepared to reacquaint myself with a classic book of my teenage years. ~~~THE AUTHOR. Robert Swindells has been a full-time author since 1980, but did write before that (his first book was written as part of his teacher training course). He hails from Bradford in Yorkshire ~ in fact a lot of his stories are set around this area. Robert Swindells was born in 1939 and ...

Brother in the Land, by Robert Swindles, is one of a great many books set in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. It is very touching but, given its subject matter, is understandably very sad. There are moments of hope, but the theme of the book is a depressing one. It's a children's book, but better for older children I feel. Not overly long, it shouldn't take too long to read. It deals in a very realistic way about issues such as sharing out of food and whether people would work together or compete for resources. The concepts in the book are very believable and seen through the eyes of characters with whom the reader will be sympathetic. ~~~ ...

“Nothing stirred, not even a cat. I could have fancied a nice bit of cat.” By the time I read this sentence, I wasn’t even shocked. At this stage of the story, the reader is pretty much resigned to the futility of the situation and no, you won’t find a happy ending. But I have started at the end here and most of you are probably lost by now, so let me explain… Those of us of a certain age will remember Threads – the shocking film, which depicted the effects of a nuclear bomb hitting an English city. Brother in the Land is almost the book equivalent. Danny Lodge is an ordinary lad. He lives in ...