2007-12-31 Belonging and betrayal

Peter Ho Davies has a history of writing about belonging - belonging to place and culture mainly. This is not surprising, as his name suggests his parents were from Wales and Malaysia, and he was brought up in the English Midlands. The Welsh Girl is no exception to the theme of belonging with the plot focusing on Esther a young Welsh woman in 1944 who works in a bar and a farm in a village where German prisoners of war are imprisoned nearby. Her encounters with the English soldiers building the prisoner of war camp and a German who escapes from the camp form the other theme in the book that of betrayal and how to survive it. The theme of belonging is encapsulated by the stories about the flocks of sheep tended by Esther's father who are said to be cynefin, (for which there is no English equivalent), which means having a certain knowledge and sense of place that is passed down the matrilineal line. Both the attractiveness of belonging to a place but also it's restrictive nature are well described in the book where the author points out that Nationalism is at heart a provincial aspiration and specifically reminds the reader that some Welsh nationalists spoke out in support of Hitler before the war.

The second theme of betrayal, I think, is less well done. The introduction of Hess into the story at the beginning and end seems to be a device to remind us that betrayal is never straightforward but its role in the narrative is unclear. The book would have read the same without Hess and his interrogator Rotheram even though some time is spent introducing these characters. The German prisoner Karsten who escapes is a curiosity rather than a character. He surrenders, a form of betrayal, and is imprisoned. He escapes imprisonment, possibly to earn redemption for surrendering, but then has a relationship with Esther which for me was the part of the book that did not work. I'm not sure the author was also convinced as this relationship tales off and is dealt with in a cursory way at the end of the book.

The author deals with big themes but I think he tried to introduce too many into this book. That said I like his writing, his attention to detail and he is very easy to read. I'll certainly be first in the cue to read his next book.