john hollands

Gran and Mr Muckey is the first volume in a family memoir, seen through the youngest of three brothers, Sajit Contractor. They live in Edgware among Jewish refugees from Hilter's Germany in 1938/9. It related hilarious incidents during the Blitz with Sajit having numerous exciting experiences at school in Caterham, Surrey, where bombing is frequent. It also includes a period of evacuation to Cornwall where he and his brothers are sent home through misbehaviour. Later, Sajit's school in evacuated to Exmoor where he enjoys a very odd education based on cricket, rugby and horse riding.

After that, Sajit is taken fire-watching by his father in the family business in Camberwell Green. Here he has first-hand experience of the bombing of the East End of London. Through all this the author introduces a succession of fascinating characters, foremost among them being his Indian grandmother and the family's arthritic garder, Mr Muckey. They have a most odd courtship.

Sajit's recalls all this with a sharp, satirical eye and his early experiences of racism and the peculiar behaviour of adults adds plenty of spice to the book.