WHEN WE WERE TWO

WHEN WE WERE TWO by Robert Newton    (LWH)

This book didn’t do much for me which did surprise me after reading the blurb. The story of Dan and his younger brother Eddie, who escaped their life in Gunnadah, with their heartless father, to adventure out on their own to find their mother, who may possibly be living in Port Macquarie. You travel with the young brothers on their long journey and meet several characters along the way, some good, some bad. Eventually they meet up with a group of would-be soldiers who are walking to Port Macquarie to enlist in the war. They form  a bond with these typically Aussie blokes of the time, and it is touching how the men take the boys under their wings a little as the brothers join their ranks for company. The characters showed great resilience and brotherhood and there was a sense of hope throughout the book.

Some of the reviews of this book say it’s a powerful heart-rending story,and one of Robert’s best books but I felt the story was a little old for YA readers. There as a real ‘Aussieness’ to this book however, and the story was touching in parts and there were moments of great sentiment, but I felt it left more questions than answers.

About the author:   Robert Newton works as a full-time firefighter with the Metropolitan Fire Brigade. His first novel, My Name is Will Thompson, was published in 2001. Since then he has written four other novels for young people, including Runner and The Black Dog Gang . He lives in Melbourne with his wife and three daughters.