Passing Go (by Libby Purves)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s over sixteen years since I was given and read ‘Passing Go’ by Libby Purves. I had entirely forgotten what it was about when I picked it up to re-read a few days ago. The title did not trigger my memory at all.

However, I did recall the basic circumstances of the story once I had started reading. It’s about the Keaney family, whom we gradually get to know over the course of the book. Roy, the father, is the first one to make his appearance. He works as a book publisher, and quite likes what he does, on the whole. His company was taken over by a huge enterprise a few months earlier, and he doesn’t particularly like that, but so far they have left him alone to do his job.

Then he discovers that his rather obnoxious high-flying twenty-four-year-old son Marcus is also working for the company. And Marcus knows his dad has to go. Roy is offered a very generous redundancy package - even Marcus doesn’t want his parents to starve. But it all happens quickly and unexpectedly, on Roy’s 50th birthday, and something flips in his mind. He decides to stage a protest… so instead of going home, he sits down in the doorway of the office building, and starts protesting loudly.

His wife Helen, meanwhile, has been a stay-at-home mother for the past eleven years since their unplanned fourth child, Zack, was born. She likes to spend the money that Roy makes, and has become something of an expert at home decor, but she does sometimes wonder what it’s all about. She’s quite conventional, on the whole, but not particularly maternal.

And there’s a family secret, one that Zack is determined to discover. He has twin siblings, Danny and Shona, who are twelve years older than he is. He used to be quite fond of Shona, but she is an artist, and has been creating and displaying some grotesque artwork, using, among other things, bodily fluids and excretions. Her face is covered in piercings, and she rarely comes home. When she does, he finds her somewhat disturbing.

But nobody will talk about Danny. Danny left home at sixteen, and Roy and Helen refuse to answer any questions, or refer to him in any way. It didn’t take me long to remember what it was that Danny had done which upset their parents so much, and I realised, re-reading, that there are one or two hints in the text, although nothing too obvious. I seem to recall the eventual revelation as quite shocking when I first read the book. This time, knowing what was coming (at least in outline) I found it quite moving, and I thought it was very sensitively handled.

Indeed, the issues explored are surprisingly current, more so - at least, more widely discussed - than back in 2000 when this book was published, and when the story is set. Some of the terminology has changed; but I hope nobody would find it offensive for that reason. Indeed, I think this book goes a long way towards normalising something which many people find strange and upsetting, even now. But Libby Purves’ novels tend to do that; her writing can be hard-hitting, her knowledge and research based in part on her years as a journalist.

There are some caricatures, of course. And some unlikely parts of the story - Marcus’s falling in love with the most unlikely person, for one thing, and his subsequent actions. I hope Shona’s lifestyle and artistic creations were meant to be a caricature too. It manages to be light-hearted, despite the heaviness of some of the topics, and I appreciated the ongoing themes of board games: Helen, mostly rather remote from her family and from the story, loves playing board games with elderly folk at a nearby care home.

Indeed, the title of the book, I assume, is from ‘Monopoly’. The family, when we first meet them, are divided: Roy and Helen are attempting to live a suburban and respectful life with Zack while trying to forget about their three eldest, controversial offspring. It takes Roy’s redundancy and Zack’s curiosity to trigger a series of events which lead to considerable healing, and new directions for everyone concerned.

I would have liked a tad more that was conclusive at the end. It’s mostly quite positive, but some threads were left open. It’s a minor gripe, though. All in all, I thought this book was extremely well-written, very thought-provoking, and overall encouraging.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2019 Sue's Book Reviews