Embedded Files
Richard Armstrong
I didn't really know what to expect going into this, the red of the cover and industrial backdrop spoke to me of workers' movements and that is what led me to read the book. Isn't it interesting, the range of things that draw us to books? While it isn't really about class politics a strong theme is the community, connectivity and solidarity of those working throughout the steelworks. Thias, the main character, often dreams of those in far off lands who mined the ore that the forge now works. This was particularly poignant in adding greater human perspective to my understanding of the impact of Thatcher's desolation of much of the industrial North. This makes this book an interesting example of a story that takes on meaning and context beyond that intended, it was published in 1946. This thoughtful passionate community give a much more positive depiction of the Working Class than much modern writing and makes me want to read Chavs: The Demonisation of the Working Class by Owen Jones to trace that change in perception.
Thias is an interesting character. His initial depiction as someone often involved in trouble who ends up everywhere made me think he would be a somewhat stereotypical adventurous boy. He does have aspects of this but a far stronger part of his character is his curiosity and eagerness to learn. It is this that leads him all over the forge and into all sorts of trouble. I particularly like this picture of him sitting on a fence contemplating the changes in how he sees the world. It is a superb statement of priorities that sees a moment of introspection as a key moment to depict.
I love the details of how the forge works, they give a sense of depth and explain the passion and the complex skill the men working in the forge have. This detail is built on Armstrong's experience as a teenager working in a Tyneside Steelworks. Other illustrations give a sense of the scale of the place and discussions between the boys beautifully portray the group dynamics of many meetings and how an idea can get away from you.
Notably a key character is physically disabled, missing one hand. This is handled well, neither made into an irrelevant detail nor made the single story of his character. I wonder if there are more characters with amputations in books published shortly after wars.
Another point to note is the comment on the back that it is "A story for boys", there are no female characters of any substance in the book but, although I would want this to be a minority in a reading diet, I don't think this prevents it being read by both boys and girls. On the issue of marketing of books I am a big fan of Let Books Be Books the spin-off from Let Toys Be Toys which campaigns for gender neutral marketing.
I had not realised that this was the second in a series following Thias, the first being Armstrong's first novel - The Mystery of Obadiah.
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