Bad Blood

Synopsis: A literary memoir of the highest calibre by the highly-regarded writer Lorna Sage, which vividly and wittily brings to life a vanished time and place, and illuminates the lives of three generations of women. Lorna Sage's memoir of childhood and adolescence is a brilliantly written bravura piece of work, which vividly and wickedly brings to life her eccentric family and somewhat bizarre upbringing in the small town of Hanmer, on the border between Wales and Shropshire. The period as well as the place is evoked with crystal clarity: from the 1940s, dominated for Lorna by her dissolute but charismatic grandfather, through the 1950s, where the invention of fish fingers revolutionised the lives of housewives like Lorna's mother, to the brink of the 1960s, where the community is shocked by Lorna's pregnancy at 16, an event which her grandmother blamed on 'the fiendish invention of sex'. Often extremely funny,and always intelligent, this unique memoir was instantly hailed as a classic upon its first publication.

Review: I bought this book because the blurb on Hilary Mantel's memoirs recommended it highly and I've got a thing at the moment about writers memoirs. One thing that Lorna had in common with Hilary is, as children, they both lived with their grandparents as well as their parents. That seems unusual now but I guess in the 1940's and 50's it was probably quite common. Lorna's grandparents didn't get on, in fact Lorna makes the point early in the book that the first time her grandmother went anywhere near her own husband's grave was feet first in a coffin where they then were 'rotting together in eternity, one flesh at the last after a lifetime of mutual loathing'. Grandma came from South Wales where her family owned a shop and lived over it, when she grew up though there wasn't enough employment there for all the children and so she married and moved away but in a way she never left the shop, she hankered after it and nothing else lived up to it. Grandfather was quite learned and well read (in fact he rather romantically named his grandaughter Lorna after 'Lorna Doone') so it was a mystery as to why he fell for a girl with no interest in books, music or paintings and whose main interests were peppermint creams and frilly blouses. But rather like Mr Bennett in Pride and Prejudice, he was taken in by a pretty face and like Mr B, soon came to regret it. Grandma resented this new life and refused to accept it, she holed herself up in her room at their new home in Hanmer (which was at opposite ends of the house to grandfathers), surrounding herself with scented soap and antimacassars, dreaming of the shop and and her beloved S. Wales, mothballing herself in, refusing to do chores of any kind, and heaping abuse upon God and man. Grandpa's room on the other hand was lined with bookshelves and filled with books .. though strangely they all had their spines blacked out to deter would be borrowers!

When Lorna came to write her memoir, she read through her grandfather's diaries (carefully preserved by her grandmother) and it's through them that she learns the truth about her grandpa's dissolute behaviour and get's a greater grip on the reasons for her grandma's hostility (Lorna always privately sided with him, and still did even in hindsight, because he was the one who gave her her love of books and learning.) It's always a complete mystery why anyone with so much to cover up should write a fairly explicit diary for all the world to see if they chose. Grandpa had gone to Hanmer before his wife and children in order to prepare the house etc and it's not long before he is enjoying country cycle rides, and a whole lot more, with the local district nurse. There's also plenty of other dalliances and a growing love for the bottle, infact he practically uses the local pub as his office. He didn't even write in code, he once wrote down (whilst indulging in a relationship with the best friend of his own daughter when she was aged just 17) that he would have to change his handwriting but he never did (though quite how that would have worked I have no idea.) And this is all the more remarkable because Grandpa is the vicar of Hanmer, and that the villagers should think this behaviour acceptable and turn up each Sunday to hear his stirring sermons is beyond belief, but apparently for quite a while they did. Meanwhile, Grandma grew fat and furious, invoking curses on all men (except her own son) and shaking her fist at people passing by the vicarage.

So this was the kind of atmosphere Lorna grew up in, by the time she was born the resentment had festered into pure hatred. Lorna's mother Valma (another romantic name but they were never able to figure out which book inspired it) continued to live with her parents whilst Lorna's father was away serving in the army, and, to escape the horrors at home (there were devastating rows and arguments sometimes ending in bloodshed) she lived in a sort of dream world of her own .. a 'magical world of unreality' as Lorna puts it. They eventually move to a council house of their own but Grandpa is now dead and it's not long before Grandma, now old, fat and infirm comes to live with them. Lorna grows up wayward, resentful and rebellious but with a continued love of books and studying to sustain her.

I don't know that I ever warmed to Lorna, I never felt sorry for her because she never painted herself as a victim despite her rather turbulent childhood but I did admire her. She became pregnant at 16 (despite being convinced that she'd never had sex) and married soon after but was determined to keep up with her studies and exams. Her and her husband were the first married couple of ordinary student age to graduate in the same subject at the same time, both with Firsts .. quite an accompishment. It's a cracking read though, there's nothing like reading about someone else's dysfunctional family. My eyes were wide with disbelief over some of their antics. It's very funny too, Lorna has a wicked sense of humour. Lorna went on to become an award winning literary critic and reviewer but the book stops at the point of her graduation with only the smallest of updates added so you don't really learn anything about her as a writer but it's a great insight into what it was like to be an intelligent girl with aspirations growing up in the 50's/60's.