Scottish Book of the Week: The God of All Small Boys

Round two of my Scottish Book of the Week picks, and for the second week in a row it’s another historical novel. The story is fictional, but the setting is real. It’s beautifully written, and full of joy and sadness in equal measures. It’s a book that will stay with you for a long time. It’s The God of All Small Boys.

Book Details

Title: The God of All Small Boys

Author: Joseph Lamb

Genre: Historical (set in 1917 during WW1)

Recommended reading age: 8+

Trigger warnings: Bullying; Death of a parent; Death of a child; Mention of War

Scottish Setting

Dundee. The majority of the story takes place in Lochee, and Broughty Ferry also plays a central part. 

Plot Summary

Dundee, 1917. Eleven year old James lives a comfortable life in well-to-do Broughty Ferry, in a nice big house, with his father and servants Christine and Mary who raised him since his mother’s death. But when his father is sent away to fight in the war, James has to go and live with his les affluent relatives in the more industrial Lochee on the other side of Dundee, where life is dominated by Camperdown Works jute mill. It’s a bit of a culture shock to James, who suddenly finds himself having to sleep four to a bed, and deal with the animosity of his cousin Billy who is the same age as him and hates James being there.

At first, James feels lost and alone. He constantly worries about his father, and has a bumpy start at his new school, where his cousin goes out of his way to make life hard for him and he gets on the wrong side of the school bully. But, gradually, he starts to make friends and ends up in a wee gang with Billy – who makes peace with him – and his mates. They spend a mostly carefree summer of freedom and fun, exploring the outdoors, building dens, dodging their rival gang, and experiencing the first flutters of young love. But although the threat of war is always hanging over them, they discover that some threats are closer to home. 

‘The God of All Small Boys’

In the story, one of the friends – Kevin – repeatedly appeals to The God of All Small Boys. “The God of All Small Boys has given us a great victory today!”, “Even The God of All Small Boys wouldn’t be able to save you from that!”, “May The God of All Small Boys” look down upon this blessed union…” Later on in the book (Chapter 17, The Den), Kevin explains it to a confused James:

You know how there’s a God, and all that…Well, what most people don’t know is, that there’s also The God of All Small Boys…The God of All Small Boys is the one who keeps us from breaking our necks on scaffolding every two minutes, or sometimes lets us find pennies in the gutter. He’s the one who grows trees, with branches in just the right places, so we can climb right to the top. The God of All Small Boys invented fireworks and dogs and sticks and horses and muddy puddles. And he lets us find secret places…like this! he gestured around the den. Really close to a building site, where we can get stuff to make it perfect. He looks after us…he’s the one who keeps us safe.

See also Spoiler Alert below.

Conclusion

Although it’s a fictional story, the places and the WW1 setting are real, and you can tell that the author has done extensive research to make the story sound as authentic as possible. It is beautifully written, and strikes a sensitive balance between focusing on boyhood with all its every day highs and lows – from playground fights to den building with friends – and the over hanging threat of war and the hardships that brings. It takes the reader on an emotional ride, making you yearn for a carefree summer romping around the hills with your friends, before hitting you unexpectedly when tragedy strikes. I confess, I found myself tearing up a couple of times. But while there are some gut wrenching moments, the story ends on a positive note. I bought this book for my 10 year old boy, but I absolutely loved it myself too. Would definitely recommend, despite the sad parts (though please see SPOILER ALERT below for sensitive readers).

SPOILER ALERT

While this is mostly an upbeat novel, with friendship triumphing over bullying and loneliness, the war time setting brings a few heart wrenching moments with it. Whilst James’ father makes it back home alive, having been discharged early due to injury, one of his friends is not so lucky when his family received the dreaded news that his father has fallen. But it’s a tragic accident at the end of the book, where carelessness leads to a fire inside their den that claims the lives of one of the friends, that completely blind sided me because it had nothing to do with the war and could have been completely avoided. Ironically, it’s Kevin, who believed so whole heartedly in The God of Small Boys, that is the one to die. In the end, The God of Small Boys could not save him. That makes the accident – and the title of the book – even more poignant. Sensitive readers may find this very upsetting, you can probably judge your child best.