My family is spread out all over the world. I’ve got close relatives in the UK, Italy, Germany and across the United States. Seeing one another is tricky at the best of times, but throw in a pandemic and it may be years before we’re able to get together again in person. So when my daughter and I talked about missing some of the people we love so much, she decided to set up a virtual bookclub - particularly for her grandfather. Honestly, I have no idea how it’s going to go. Grandad is not exactly a sweet old man with twinkly eyes who wears a sweater vest. He has a wicked sense of humour, swears quite a bit and can’t stand to be bored. He also likes to read gory murder mysteries and lengthy political biographies. I’ve explained to both of them that the idea of a book club is to open yourself up to something new, see where it takes you… to be open to possibility. So we’ll see - children’s literature today has come a long way since the 1940s. It still has a long way to go in lots of ways, but there are plenty of fantastic reads for them to choose from. Even so.
To start off, my daughter has selected One for the Murphys by Linda Mullaly Hunt. It’s about a young girl who goes into a foster home and tries to find her place in a world full of challenging contradictions. It’s funny, heart-breaking and deeply moving. I’m not sure if Grandad will get past page two. But I hope he does and if so, I suspect he will be delighted and surprised by what he finds. But more than anything, I hope it proves to be a way for them to overcome some of the barriers we’ve all been struggling with and with any luck, bring them closer together in all the ways that matter most.
We’ll see… sharing a story is a simple thing to do, but it can also be magical.