Against the backdrop of the Quaker village in the midlands which was the home of chocolate, Bournville tells the story of four generations of a family from the area. Touching on notable events such as the coronation of Elizabeth II, England’s World Cup success of 1966, all they way up to the recent pandemic, where we see the family grow and change with the times as their lives untangle across the globe.

Jonathan Coe’s last book Middle England deftly put the British public under the microscope in terms of ‘Brexit’ – examining how families, friendships and relationships can be fractured irreparably by opposings ideologies. With this latest book the approach is similar, but the subject is primarily the recent COVID19 pandemic, and the differing views and attitudes of people living in an extraordinary time.

Yet rather than straight politics, this author is concerned with our humanity and the difficulties in navigating modern life where families rarely agree. Part of a sequence of novels concerned with ‘unrest’, this novel feels rich, heartfelt, and even at times angry. No-one writing today seems to have their finger on the pulse of the nation in quite the same way as Jonathan Coe – he is at the top of his game and we are lucky to have him.

At times warm and very funny, yet also sad and thought provoking, Coe cleverly weaves personal stories amongst major events in British postwar history to stunning effect.

(Review by Cliff)