The Deserter

Three children evacuate London for Sussex during WWII and make a surprising series of discoveries in this reflective novel from Mulhorn (The Release). Fourteen-year-old Katie and her younger brothers Angel, 10, and Tom, six, are on a farm belonging to their grandparents, whom they call Biddy and Codger. Their father, a soldier, is stationed in North Africa and their mother works for the Ministry of Information. In between farm chores and irregular schooling by their distractible grandmother, the children discover signs of someone bivouacking in a forested part of the property. They stake it out and meet Stanely Mobbs, a young draft dodger. Stanley becomes like an older brother, indulging the two boys’ games and winning over Angel, who initially wanted to report Stanley to Biddy and Codger. The siblings sneak him food and keep his presence a secret until Angel is attacked by knife-wielding bullies. When Stanley intervenes, he’s stabbed, prompting Angel to take him to Codger, who’s a doctor. Codger is sympathetic to Stanley’s predicament and tries to help him become a medic to avoid the front lines. Meanwhile, during a surprise visit from the children’s injured father, they learn a secret about their origins. Mulhorn effectively conveys the children’s sense of their lives being in suspension while they wait out the war. It’s an affecting family drama. (Self-published)