Max Gunn's Pay Book
by Graham Lindsay
If you are looking for a happy and uplifting book, then this one is not for you. Having said that, I was able to recognise my father in many of the scenes.
The book is a novel, but I had to remind myself of this, many times, so well were the characters drawn. Max was part of the most unfortunate generation in New Zealand’s history. The first world war was followed by the depression, then the second world war.
It does not make easy reading, dealing with the New Zealand defeat in Greece, the withdrawal to Crete, the airborne assault by the Germans, and the subsequent imprisonment at the hands of the Italians.
The story is well researched, and has many colourful turns of phrase, such as ‘broth that a turnip has swum through’. I could sympathise with Max and the effects of alcohol and tobacco on his health. I could see my father’s generation in every turn of events, even after the war and the ballots for land on which to settle returned servicemen.
The story is sharp in its description of battle scenes, the suffering of the soldiers, the constant struggle for food and warmth. Running through the constant battle for survival is a love story, in which Max had one of the few moments of real happiness in his life.
Overall, the harsh struggle for life produced a generation of resourceful, resilient people, capable of dragging a nation out of war, depression, and shaping New Zealand into what we now have.
A moving book, a strong book, one which affects the reader deeply.
Review by Harold Bernard
Title: Max Gunn's Pay Book
Author: Graham Lindsay
Publisher: 99% Press an imprint of Lasavia Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-991083-09-8
RRP: $34.90
Available: bookshops
Author: Graham Lindsay
Publisher: 99% Press an imprint of Lasavia Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-991083-09-8
RRP: $34.90
Available: bookshops
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