A Fool's Alphabet and Fairness

A Fool's Alphabet by Sebastian Faulks, 1992, pub. Vintage.
Guess how many chapters in the book. The first starts with A for Anzio, where the soldier to become the father of the main character, Pietro, is wounded (Second World War) and is nursed by Francesca, subsequently Pietro's mother. Phases of Pietro's life are described going through the alphabet to another location for each chapter. For credibility the hero is given the occupation of a photographer who is hired by publications to provide illustrations. The structure manipulates the story you might think; I certainly did. But then the structure always does, I suppose; it is just more obvious here. It is not easy finding a line to follow as the periods of the settings are as scattered as the locations. Where do you think location Z is? It is in Italy, and in 1970. The events in the book are set in Jerusalem, Ghent and Rome along with Zeneca and 22 other locations in the years from 1945 to 1980s mainly, but with one chapter going back to 1914. And to where? Belgium!
On skimming through my copy I cannot find where the Fool's Alphabet occurs. I think it must be there so if you find it let me know on what page. It goes something like this.
A is for horses B for mutton C for yourself D for dumb E for brick ..................................Z for breezes. Can you fill in the rest?
Why the title? Because life doesn't make sense and one version of it is as good as another. We are fools to expect more.

I enjoyed the book and gave it eight out of ten. If I have been laconic it is because I am jealous of the achievement. The structure of the book is a great way of stringing essays and stories into book form.
First sentence: Vesuvius was erupting.




Fairness by Ferdinand Mount, pub probably 2001.
My daughter, Pippa, recommended the book and it was her copy that I read so there will not be a photo of the real cover of this one, or a first sentence. Pippa had a house not far from Deauville at one time and my wife and I had visited the town several times with her and the story starts in Deauville. This kind of connection brought me readily to read a book that otherwise would not have attracted.
It did surprise me that I enjoyed this book! It may surprise you too when you read what follows. To start with: the main characters, Gus and Helen, are both teenagers minding kids for well-heeled families on summer holidays. Often in books, though, it is what people do in their time off that makes the story!
The title, so I thought, referred to the kind of 'fairness' as in 'None but the brave deserve the fair' because
Helen is both beautiful and blonde. At this early point in his life Gus has fallen for Helen but he does not tell her and she seems to wait for a strong declaration. He pretends he wants her just as a friend and so this detente continues over many years and places carrying along the reader who expects them to couple at the next opportunity.

The massive Dodo Wilmot, friend of the Stilwell's, a rich and ruthless entrepreneur, is a colourful colossus in the cast of characters who make a habit of turning up and being memorable. This author writes great dialogue and description of locales. Helen is a laboratory analyst of food products, a mining employee in Central Africa, then finally a social worker. These changes in her life provide backgrounds for Gus to turn up in roles as a visiting friend or investigating civil servant.

I ended up with the idea that 'Fairness' is a good name for a resort on the North Yorkshire coast. It would be near Scarborough. However, the author used it as the name of the Children's Home, subject of an enquiry on cases of child abuse, which involves our two main protagonists. The title seldom matters once you start to read but its uncertain origin here is an added interest in the end. It is a story of unrequited love set across three or four decades of adult life and a very good ironic, melancholic read. Nine out of ten.