The Facts of Life by Graham Joyce. I think I read this over a decade ago. All I remembered was having read a novel set in post-war Coventry. Part of me can't quite believe though that the enjoyment I felt reading it (presumably again) didn't leave any lasting trace. But anyway, it's a really cool book. I'm not a literary expert, and genre classification is not my thing, but I suppose you could tag a "magical realism" label on this one without getting it too wrong. The story revolves around Frank, a very much wanted but destined for adoption kid conceived in unclear circumstances... When Frank ends up not adopted, his mother Cassie and his grand mother Martha have to decide what's to become of him. Cassie is "fey", not always entirely there and while big-hearted, not well suited for motherhood because of her absences. Fortunately (maybe), Martha has had 5 other daughters, and it is decided that they will take turns raising little Frank. Frank himself is a little odd, though not so much as his mom. Facts of Life is the story of Frank's youth, the story of a city trying to rebuild itself, of post-war hopes and of the remains of a German bomber. While not 100% sure if it's magical realism, I am 100% sure it's magical. I laughed, I was moved, I marveled, it made me all fuzzy inside. Read it. #novel#magicalrealism#fantasy#coventry
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