Ruskin Bond is at his vintage best in this childhood memoir spanning two years, one of which he spent with his father (his parents had just separated) and the other at a new boarding school. Hes eight, has just escaped his jail-like boarding school in the hills and has come to live with his father in Delhi. The year is 1942 and Bonds father is serving in the Royal Air Force in the Codes and Cyphers section. In the backdrop of WWII, Bonds time is filled with books, cinema, music, and walks and conversations with his fathera dream life for a curious and wildly imaginative boy, although tragedy awaits. Bond writes with visible feeling Not many fathers are capable of tenderness towards their children. They are usually too busy earning a living for the familyor thats the excuse So I was lucky to have a father who gave me nearly all his spare time, who brought me books, took me for walks, shared his interests with me and held my hand in the dark. Released on May 19, the authors birthday, its a book for children but theres nothing to stop the big people from enjoying it too.
