When The sky Falls by Phil Earle

 

Author: Phil Earle

Title: When The Sky Falls

Publisher: Andersen Press

Published: 2021

Pages: 320

Genre: Historical Fiction

      It's 1940, and Joseph has been packed off to stay with Mrs. F, a gruff woman with no great fondness for children. To Joseph's amazement, she owns the rundown city zoo where Joseph meets Adonis, a huge silverback gorilla. Adonis is ferociously strong and dangerous, but Joseph finds he has an affinity with the lonely beast. But when the bombs begin to fall, it is up to Joseph to guard Adonis's cage should it be damaged by a blast. Will Joseph be ready to pull the trigger if it comes to it?

     I can't remember when I first heard about this book, but I do know the cover grabbed me as soon as I saw it. It's such a distinct image that it is hard to forget. You have to give Andersen Press's art department the due here. It defiantly made me pick it up when I was in my local book store and flip it over to read the blurb. And whilst this book is aimed at a much younger audience I have to say it sounded so intriguing that I just had to pick a copy up. And for me, it's not often that happens with books aimed at younger readers. Sadly those days are long behind me but every once in a while a book like this comes along and makes me want to dip my toe back into it. 

     There have been quite a few books dealing with children during the blitz. The horrors and hardships they faced are ones I find truly unimaginable. With such stories, we are stripped of these great heroes and villains we come to expect. What we are left with tends to be more about survival. That living through these events is enough for anyone to go through. In coming to Joseph we see a slightly different view on this. He is someone whose anger we can see boiling up inside him. He feels betrayed and abandoned by all those who are supposed to care for him. And being sent hundreds of miles away only adds to this feeling of isolation. In this case, Joseph never feels overplayed. His feelings and emotions come across as valid to the reader. I think too often writers try and simply their younger characters. They want to show them to be childish and invalidate the experiences they go through. But here I was not only allowed to experience them for what they were but given the reasons behind them. 

     And for Earle that is a great part of this story, he wishes to tell us. He shows us that be it human or animal. we all have to deal with pain and sorrow. It is some of our most basic instincts and too often it course us to lash out at those around us. We think they cannot possibly understand this raw and unbridled pain we are going through. And to some extent, this took me by surprise in a book aimed at a younger audience. Earle doesn't try and sugarcoat what is happening here. But allows the reader to experience that journey Joseph goes through. And maybe that is part of what makes this book so well, there is no dumbing down. He treats us all equally and trusts readers of any age to something that feels very real. 

     Whilst I may have only picked the book up at first due to its cover, the story I found inside is one that will stick with me for a long time to come. It goes far beyond the usual child during the Blitz and I think tries to tell us deeper truths about human nature. Somehow this is a book that allows you to bring up questions about a whole raft of ideas. I'd imagine it to be one of those books that would allow you to have deeper conversations with you child about topics such as grief and struggling to control your emotions. But will also give the you as the parent a story you can get invested in. Overall I think this is a great book to read no matter your age.