Oh how I love Alan Bennet. This is Alan Bennet’s family biography, from his grandfather who killed himself through his father and mother, who suffered from depression and finally died of Alzheimers. It’s a bravely honest account of his feelings. He talks about his aunties Kathleen and Myra, one dead of dementia as well and the other of pneumonia, and their weird marriages, one to an Australian man. I can hear his voice telling this story and it’s a fantastic insight into the British working classes, with all their pretensions and limitations. There's a kind of resigned sadness about the past and the limits placed on people's lives and an awareness of their suffering that runs through it. He has such a strong voice. 4 1/2 stars
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