Peter Twohig

The Torch is Twohig’s sequel to the The Cartographer, and sees us back with the Blayney kid rampaging around early 1960s Richmond.

Blayney (we never learn his first name) is 12, and obsessed with spying, exploration and being a super-hero. At the start of the book, his house has been burned to the ground by a local arsonist, whom he dubs Flame Boy and considers his nemesis. He pursues Flame Boy through the houses, alleys, drains and tunnels of Richmond.

Twohig’s rollicking plot turns on the maguffin of a briefcase that Flame Boy has in his possession, which an awful lot of people want to get their hands on. Aware of the kid’s propensity for getting about and finding stuff, various parties put pressure on him to find it. He scrambles around Richmond forming secret societies, hobnobbing with spies, girls and other super-heroes, starting high school and meeting a very interesting new friend, Rafi.

While the tone of the book is pacy and funny, there is a serious undercurrent to all this; Blaney’s twin Tom died in his presence and he was unable to save him. From that time on, he developed epilepsy and his parents’ marriage has fallen apart. There is a suggestion that a lot of his fantasy life is escapism to help him deal with this and get away from a world that gets him down at times. His immersion in Richmond's criminal element, and his growing awareness of the complexity of the adult matters going on around him, including grief, adultery, alcoholism and the war also add to the book’s serious side.

The narrative voice that Twohig has created from this mix is unique and utterly Australian. The kid uses lots of humorous slang, and the writing is full of cheeky wit. As someone who grew up in inner Melbourne in the 60s, this book struck a lot of chords and brought back a lot of memories. I’m pretty sure some of the jokes will go over the heads of readers not familiar with Australia at that time, but that doesn’t mar the book much. For those of us familiar with Richmond and its surrounds, Twohig works in a lot of discreet references to various familiar buildings and events, which adds to the fun.

Twohig has created a cast of memorable supporting characters, notably Granddad, who is what the papers of the time would have referred to as a “colourful local identity”. A highly improbably plot is played for all it is worth and there is a lot of laughs and a bit of sadness as well. Twohig has come up with a winner again. There are hints in this book that a third may be on the cards, which I will greatly look forward to.
… (más)

This is the second book written by Australian author Peter Twohig.
It's now 1960 and young Blayney is still trying to cope with the death of his twin, Tom, and trying to be naughty enough for two and mostly succeeding.
He's still friends with two people who seem to be spies, his granddad is a shady character who has a finger in every pie in their part of Melbourne, and he's trying to locate a young firebug before the police do.
Blayney's observations on the adult world, his own world and the strange new world of girls are very funny.
A light enjoyable read.… (más)

This was an extremely good first novel by an Australian author.
We follow a young boy around the suburbs of 1950's Melbourne, as he tries to make sense of his surroundings and his life.
He is a surviving twin, who saw his brother killed the year before, and except for his granddad, is mostly ignored by his family and feels guilty because of his own survival.
On his explorations, he is the witness to the murder of a woman and the murderer catches sight of him. His explorations are tinged with danger from this source, as well as other dangers he lets himself in for in a child's careless disregard for safety.
His family is dysfunctional and 1950's Melbourne is highly disturbing in many ways.
Highly recommended.… (más)