V. S. Pritchett (1900–1997)

Another book to tick off the list of 1951 publications. V. S. Pritchett was best known for his short stories and essays and for being editor of the New Statesmen, he was said not to have enjoyed writing novels and after reading Mr Beluncle I could imagine why this may have been so. It took a long time for the story (such as it was) to get going while the author took careful aim to build on his characters. However it did convey an excellent impression of life in a provincial English town in the 1950's.

Mr Beluncle was probably a self made man and we meet him when at 50 years old his furniture business is starting to fail. He is a commanding figure who rules his family like his factory in an authoritarian manner. The story is told from the point of view of his eldest son Henry, who has a job in his father's business, but suffers from the stress of dealing with his father both at work and at home. Mr Beluncle has a fierce temper and Henry's two brothers and his mother all have various defence mechanisms for dealing with the outbursts. Mr Beluncle has supreme self confidence and is never wrong. There are two other sides to Mr Beluncle that have to be accommodated, he is a member of a religious organisation run by a Mrs Parkinson and attends regular meetings of this group who call themselves The Science of Purification. Mr Beluncle's business is kept afloat by the money supplied by his partner Mrs Truslove, who is half in love with the great man. Mr Beluncle has a history of obtaining financial support from female admirers. The story gets going when Henry thinks he is in love with Mary Phibbs and his father admonishes him for stepping out with a girl who is below their station and when a crippled member of the Science of Purification starts to walk for the first time.

The novels main strength is its slightly satirical look at 1950's attitudes and its character's search for something in which to believe. The dialogue like the story can suddenly take some strange turns, some of which seem outdated today, but ring true at the time that the novel was published. It is like stepping back into a time capsule, but its satire can make for a slightly depressing read and so 3 stars.… (more)