Robert Swindells wrote his coming of age novel Brother in the Land in 1984 when the Cold War was at its peak.
Now, almost four and a half decades later, the story is just as compelling for the new generations at a time when the prospect of nuclear war is back in the news.
Fifteen year old Danny Lodge and his seven year old brother Ben are survivors of a lethal nuclear catastrophe.
With no parents to guide them, the boys rely on a local farmer, Branwell, who has inspiring ideas about how society should be rebuilt. But, up at Kershaw Farm, there are people who disagree. There are ‘new species’ of human: Badgers, Purples, and Spacers. Danny comes to learn the truth about their identities as the story progresses. One day, Danny meets a girl the same age as him: Kim. His life is flipped upside down.
At the start of the story, we learn that many bombs have fallen across most of the earth. Near where Danny lives, the bomb destroys Branford. His town is also decimated by the missiles. The author has created a tense, and suspenseful atmosphere in a variety of ways, and shows all the frightening and joyous scenarios in this book very well. Danny sees a variety of things at the beginning, like buildings left as rubble in heaps, and an old man, sat staring into space, in an old and torn armchair; he could be one of the first ‘Spacers’ in a line of many.
In many scenes, there are themes of worry, which leaves you with your heart racing, adrenaline pumping, and more as you read through. One of the main ones though, is at the attack of Kershaw Farm, when Danny gets captured, and in a way, held hostage. He thankfully escapes with the help of his captor, his old school bully, after faking being a Spacer.
Throughout the story, many of the characters in the book are strong and relatable. Danny himself is an ordinary boy who is forced into doing extraordinary things. He has to take care of his younger brother after they are orphaned. He gets shot, he attempts to rescue Kim and even acts heroically when saving the lives of those in the bunker. This shows how much of a responsible character he is.
The novel’s main antagonist is Mr Rhodes, Danny’s former teacher who turns out to be a ruthless, brutal maniac. Branwell says ‘The man’s a barbarian. He must have know they had a prisoner.’ This shows us just how cold-hearted Rhodes is the first of many similar dangerous incidents.
A fan favourite scenario in the book is at the ending when they reach New Beginning. It is a heartwarming, emotional scene which sends a surge of happiness through your body when you read it every single time.
Despite the many strengths of the book, the plot at times feels a little uneven. There is lots of build-up to the climax, but when it comes, it’s over as quick as it comes, and Danny plays a role that you can barely call a role.
There are a few things that people may think didn’t work very well in Brother in the Land. The ending of the book is seen by many as slightly anti-climatic, and is not as detailed as some other books by Swindells. Throughout the story, it switches pace every now and then; at the odd moment, it goes from too fast, to too slow.
Overall, Brother In The Land has its ups and downs, but the strengths definitely outweigh the book’s flaws, making it an incredible read for young adults and older people too.
Confictionarium 