When We Were Romans: A Novel by Matthew Kneale has been getting quite a bit of press, so I took an advance copy I had along on a recent plane trip. The book jacket suggests that the story will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which I liked.The story is told by nine-year-old Lawrence, who finds himself thrust into the role of the man in the family, when his mother, Hannah, packs him and his younger sister into the family car and flees London to escape her estranged husband, the children's father. The three head for Rome, where Hannah had lived happily before her marriage. After wearing out their welcome with various old friends, the family finally settles into a flat. All seems well, but Hannah soon becomes convinced that they have been followed. Throughout their ordeal, Lawrence tries to make sense, and the best, of their confusing situation.
I almost gave up on this book early on. Kneale does a great job of telling the story from a child's perspective. Unfortunately, Kneale also uses childlike misspellings throughout the book, which become maddening.
Nevertheless, the story pulled me in and became quite a page-turner, with a building tension and a dramatic resolution. Recommended.
