Double Exposure

By: Brian Johnstone

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Synopsis: Two revelations, each coming to light 20 years apart following the deaths of his father and mother, prompt Brian Johnstone to turn a poet's eye on his 1950s childhood and explore his parents' lives before and during World War II. His double set of discoveries lead him to encounter relatives both forgotten and unknown, to free an elderly cousin from the burden of a secret kept for a lifetime, and to forge an enduring relationship with the half-sister he never knew he had. In a memoir sure to resonate with baby-boomers and anyone who has lost and found unknown relatives, Brian ponders why he was never trusted with the truth and vividly evokes a post-war upbringing, under whose conventional surface so much was hidden. "An affecting tale that reminds us of the consequences of caring too much about appearances and not enough about the natural affections of the heart. The sense of loss is palpable." Louis de Bernières "a memoir not of misery but of love deflected and deferred." James Robertson "Summoning of the fragrance of lost days." Candia McWilliam, Scottish Review of Books "A profoundly moving elegy written in a minor key… A mature, courageous, honest and extremely likeable book." Jim Crumley, The Scots Magazine