Book Review: Pied Piper
“Finally, he got up, feeling uncommonly well. It did not occur to him that this was because he had a job to do, for the first time in many month’s”
This might be one of the most charming books I've read this year. But I’m not surprised – Nevil Shute is probably one of my favourite authors - if not my absolute favourite. He writes predominantly about the lives of people caught up in the Second World War. Everyday people who, while trapped in a time when it felt like the world was ending and unspeakable horrors were happening, show unmitigated kindness and give insight into the breadth of human compassion. Pied Piper is no different.
The story follows a 70-year-old man called Howard. Struggling with the suffocating grief of losing his only son to war, Howard escapes to France to indulge in some fishing. Suddenly, the Second World War erupts. The Germans invade Belgium, the Netherlands and then France. Things seem dire, and he must hurry home! But then some acquaintances hand him over two small children to take back with him to England so they can help the allies. He meets five more children along the way; some are given to him to take care of and send to relations – others, he finds due to the devastations of war and refuses to leave them behind.
There is a wizened patience to Howard; he fully understands children, their needs and what truly makes them tick. Try as he might, he shields them from some of the more sinister aspects of it. The fact that their escape from France under suspicion of occupying German forces relies solely on the children not speaking English. On the one hand, that is somewhat charming. On the other, riddles poor Howard with anxiety.
It is a beautiful book about heartbreak and healing from the loss of someone you loved. Howard finds a purpose in getting these children out of France and into England – even if it kills him.
Nevil Shute truly captures not only the beauty of innocence in a time of war, but that the line between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ isn’t clear. Howard is one of the war's quiet heroes. One that would not receive recognition, nor would Howard ask for it. Pied Piper is a beautifully humanist story and one that I would recommend a hundred times over.