Synopsis (Credit: www.wikipedia.com)

A Time Like Alice is a novel by the British author Nevil Shute. It is told somewhat mysteriously from the perspective of a young Englishwoman's elderly Scottish solicitor and trustee. He tells the story of her time as a prisoner of war in Malaya during World War II and her new post-war life in a small outback community in Australia, which she sets out to turn into 'a town like Alice,' i.e. Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. It was first published in 1950 when Shute had newly settled in Australia.

The uploaded picture shows the book's first edition cover.

On the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die List.

(Bought second-hand at Help the Rural Child Charity Bookshop, Main Road, Retreat.)

A classic story by master storyteller, Nevil Shute. We had this as a prescribed book at school and I'm so glad I read it again. Ours must surely have been an abridged "school edition". Moreover, one is bound to read a book from a whole new perspective 40 years on.

As confirmed by the author's notes and observations by others, the book is based on the essence of two real-life tales. That explains the feeling of authenticity one gets when reading it. Neither special effects nor drama is required: these are believable characters in realistic circumstances of the "truth is stranger than fiction" variety — a much better approach than the "faction" genre favoured by some.

I was surprised how much social norms and perceptions of those days differed from those of today, even in a place like Australia. The value of a book such as this, that captures the good and the bad as it was, is undeniable.


   Illustration: Benjamin Russell Warner

Left somewhere on the concourse level.

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