Paper Faces is a powerful book, evocative of the peacetime in the aftermath of World War II. There are shortages of money, new clothes, food rationing, and no proper home for Dot and her mother, Gloria - just a series of drab, dingy lodgings. Dot is taken to the 'country' to stay with Mrs. Hallidaye, who is from a different social class altogether. Her ordered way of life brings comfort to the child amidst all the other changes going on in her small world. It is Mrs. Hallidaye who steers and supports Dot through illness and her tonsilectomy. But she must eventually hand her back to Gloria. Life is constantly changing and just as Dot gets used to things it is time to change yet again.

The biggest change is when her father comes home from the war ( as Dot thinks). But the secret withehld from her is that he has been in a military asylum, suffering from nervous collapse; ' He was a mental, couldn;t even speak a threepenny bit'. Daughter and father are unable to communicate but he has the intuition to realise that Dot is scared of his 'paper face' and empty eyes. Mrs Hallidaye offers to help them to decorate their new pre-fab and Dot hopes that they will, in time, become a real family.

Paper Faces is full of vivid, post-war authenticity. The characterisation is excellent. A book for older readers that will interest many adults, especially those who remember the period after World War II. It could be read to support an historical study of the period.

2007-12-31