BooksBarbecue
Back After the War Save as PDF
Chapters (74)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. About the Author
  4. Also by Anita Frank
  5. Note to Readers
  6. Dedication
  7. Part One
  8. Chapter One
  9. Chapter Two
  10. Chapter Three
  11. Chapter Four
  12. Chapter Five
  13. Chapter Six
  14. Chapter Seven
  15. Chapter Eight
  16. Chapter Nine
  17. Chapter Ten
  18. Chapter Eleven
  19. Chapter Twelve
  20. Chapter Thirteen
  21. Chapter Fourteen
  22. Chapter Fifteen
  23. Chapter Sixteen
  24. Chapter Seventeen
  25. Chapter Eighteen
  26. Chapter Nineteen
  27. Chapter Twenty
  28. Chapter Twenty-One
  29. Chapter Twenty-Two
  30. Chapter Twenty-Three
  31. Chapter Twenty-Four
  32. Chapter Twenty-Five
  33. Chapter Twenty-Six
  34. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  35. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  36. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  37. Chapter Thirty
  38. Chapter Thirty-One
  39. Chapter Thirty-Two
  40. Chapter Thirty-Three
  41. Chapter Thirty-Four
  42. Chapter Thirty-Five
  43. Chapter Thirty-Six
  44. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  45. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Part Two
  49. Chapter Forty-One
  50. Chapter Forty-Two
  51. Chapter Forty-Three
  52. Chapter Forty-Four
  53. Chapter Forty-Five
  54. Chapter Forty-Six
  55. Chapter Forty-Seven
  56. Chapter Forty-Eight
  57. Chapter Forty-Nine
  58. Chapter Fifty
  59. Chapter Fifty-One
  60. Chapter Fifty-Two
  61. Chapter Fifty-Three
  62. Chapter Fifty-Four
  63. Chapter Fifty-Five
  64. Chapter Fifty-Six
  65. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  66. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  67. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  68. Chapter Sixty
  69. Acknowledgements
  70. Extract
  71. Chapter One
  72. Chapter Two
  73. Chapter Three
  74. About the Publisher

‘Bringing in the cattle,’ Gwen says, leading the way up the steps.

‘I bet she’s pleased. She’ll be released from service, I suppose.’

‘Not immediately, I wouldn’t have thought. The country still needs feeding, and I can’t manage without her.’

‘No … I’m sure she’ll have to stay for a while yet,’ the woman concedes, though she doesn’t look best pleased by the prospect.

As they reach the back door, Gwen calls again for Tom. Her voice contains a warning note this time that brings him to his feet.

‘Gwen …’ Muriel’s sudden gravitas causes Gwen to pause, her hand resting on the latch. ‘Have you heard from Jack?’

‘No.’

‘But you haven’t heard anything to suggest …’

‘No.’ This time the word comes wearily, battle-worn and fearful.

‘Gwen … what are you going to do?’

‘Nothing.’

‘But …’

‘I’m going to do nothing, Muriel, because there is nothing to be done. Jack won’t be coming back.’ She opens the door into the farmhouse kitchen.

Muriel huffs, her grey brows pitching upwards. ‘Certain of that, are you?’ She brushes past Gwen to deposit the parcel of mushrooms on the table. ‘Because I’ll tell you now … I’m not.’

‘He won’t come back, Muriel.’

The old woman turns to face her.

‘Perhaps he won’t, but tell me this: what are you going to do if he does?’

Chapter Four

Jack

June 1939

He walks on in the burgeoning morning light, a foreigner in a strange land. He is used to gunmetal seas stretching, ever restless, to the horizon, not the patchwork of fields that peacefully flow before him now.

Even the air is different, he notes. It is light, pure, trailing scents of flowers and grass rather than the smog and miasma of poverty that his lungs have become hardened to over the years. The scream of factory whistles has been replaced with trilling bird song, while the lowing of cows in the meadow supplants the bellow of a ship’s horn. The unaffected sounds serve to lift his leaden spirits as he tramps on.

Before long, his hunger begins to bite. He swings the knapsack off his shoulder and places it on the road before him so he can rifle through its meagre contents – a change of shirt, folded trousers, spare socks and pants. More precious is his leather roll of woodworking tools, his collection of fine chisels and bevelled gouges. In truth, it was the first thing he grabbed; the only item he could not leave behind.