BOOK OF THE WEEK

Taranaki Daily News, 14 October 1933, Page 1 (Supplement)

BOOK OF THE WEEK

VICTIMS OF PUBLICITY

(By

U.S.)

“Wonder Hero,” by J- H. Priestley. William Heinemann, London, per A. J. Fyfe Ltd., New Plymouth. Price 7s.

Those who know Mr. Priestley’s books are certain any story of his will show a knowledge of industrial England in the post-war period that is shrewd, kindly and provocative of some serious thought. More important still they are assured of a thoroughly readable volume. “Wonder Hero” more than maintains all these qualities. The hero, “Charlie Babble,” is a working man from one of those rather depressing midland industrial centres Mr. Priestley describes with so much skill. The glimpses of the “England of the dole” the author affords are not pretty pictures. They bear the stamp of reality and they show, too, that with all the hardships of bad times the work-ing-man’s sense of humour can keep him sane.

The Communist “Kibworth” is very cleverly drawn. His passionate desire to see the workers’ lot’ improved, the effect of the ill-digested Marxian theories he has been fed upon, the mixture of conceit as well as devotion to a cause, and the warm heart of the man who beneath all his bombast really desired first of all to improve condition for his mistress and his child are portrayed in a series of sketches that become excellent parts of the narrative.

Very grim is the picture of “Slakeby,” the ugly northern city stricken with the blight of unemployment. Once a famous engineering and ship-building centre with iron and steel plants to provide the raw materials “Slakeby” has > become “redundant,” to use the. bitter word of the unemployed engineer “Tom Adderson,” whom years of unemployment have broken in body, mind and estate. Grass grows ’ in the shipyards and steel-yards of Slakeby, and even the young people 'are growing up feeling they, too, are “redundant,” unwanted. The frame of mind is not improved by the lack of nutritious food so many of them must suffer. Even the gloom of Slakeby, however, is lightened by individual kindness of heart, and the story as a whole is anything but depressing. Charlie Habble, a labourer in some coal distillation work is the hero of the book. He falls asleep when on night duty and when he awakens is able to escape detection of his offence by preventing a fire that might have led to a catastrophe. Charlie’s action, in circumstances which one feels were written with a chuckle, is boomed into fame by a London paper for its own publicity purposes. “Hal Kinney,” the journalistwho does the trick, is the object of a good deal of satire. He takes with him to London the “Wonder Hero” that is to be his paper’s “scoop” until a new subject for publicity shall arise. Charlie is lodged at one of London’s newest hotels. “Staying in Buckingham Palace would be roughing it after this place,” he is Paired by the reporter in charge of him.

Charlie is true to type and his reactions to the fuss that is being made of him are thoroughly believable. How he finds men and women, housemaids or society leaders, hotel porters or wealthy financiers are much the same “under their skins” is the sort of • description Mr. Priestley can give so satisfactorily. If he devises an unusual situation, at a cocktail party, for instance, he develops it not only for its sensational effect but to reflect the human characters he Is introducing.

It was Charlie Babble’s luck to be sent to the same hotel as “Ida Chatwith,” a working class girl, also from a murky town in the Midlands, who had won a beauty competition organised by another periodical. Of course, the young people meet Their publicity agents see the value of their association and they share a box at a theatre, go from that to a night club, and generally see quite a lot of the more blatant section of London “society” life. Ida is a weaker character than Charlie. His commonsense reminds him frequently that the whole business is a farce. Ida sees a rarepr “on the films” awaiting her, <~!h«riie knows he was no hero, and he wonders where it will all end. He has not long to wait. Booked to appear; as a draw at a, meeting in favour of a movement taken up by Sir Gregor Hatchland, proprietor of the paper that made Charlie a “hero”—a noisome person whom Mr. Priestley seems to paint in even blacker colour than is warranted— Charlie is waiting in the wings of the stage. There he receives a letter telling him that “Aunt Nellie,” who; lives, in Slakeby, and who is the only relative he has had kindness from, is seriously ill. Without bothering about Sir Gregory Charlie rushes off to catch a train to the north. His experiences at Slakeby show Charlie as he really is, a decent, kindhearted working man who wants a steady job and funds enough for a few simple enjoyments to make him thoroughly happy.

Affairs at Slakeby settled, Charlie goes back to London, where he finds Kibworth in gaol. He learns from the Communist that it was Kibworth and not Charlie who stopped the fire. Charlie s attempts to have the hero’s halo shifted from himself to Kibworth soon show him that his nine-days’ wonder is over and forgotten. He finds, too, that Ida has met the same fate, and he sets our to find her.

His quest brings him in touch with the queer people Mr. Priestley can sketch so delightfully. It is the “red-headed housemaid” at the big hotel who shows him how to find his lady-love. For, of course, Charlie has found he cannot live without Ida. He finds her. down and out, but with a determination as strong as ever not to return to her people as a failure. Charlie settles that bogey and the book ends with cheer. “Wonder Hero” is a thoroughly likeable book. Its satire is usually genial, its characters live, and. if some methods of publicity are shown as unadulterated exaggeration the people concerned see the joke and have no illusions about others seeing it also. If there is a touch of caricature at times it gives the story zest. Human beings are rarely wholly black or wholly white. Generally speaking Mr. Priestley is content to let his characters be human. That is the chief attraction of this enjoyable volume.

Pear’s Encyclopaedia. A completely revised edition, containing twenty-two sections—viz., Ready-reckoner, Dictionary of Photography, Wireless, Poultry, Domestic Pets, Cookery, Medical, Prominent People, Sports, etc., etc. Also 31 pages of maps. “Pear’s” is invaluable in every home. Price 4/6, postage Bd. A. J. Fyfe,'Ltd., “The Book People,” New Plymouth. ’Phone 1397.*