The Line: A Man's Experience; A Son's Quest to Understand

by Arch Flanagan, Martin Flanagan

The Line: A Man's Experience; A Son's Quest to Understand is a memoir written by Arch and Martin Flanagan. It details Arch Flanagan's experiences as an Australian prisoner of war of Imperial Japan during World War II. The book is divided into sections: Cleveland 1914-1928 - a short history of Arch's childhood growing up in rural Tasmania; The War Years 1940-1945, and Long Long Ago - a memoir of events that Arch remembers from his time in the war; Tribute to Weary - a tribute written by Arch in memory of Edward (Weary) Dunlop.

(from the book's back cover)
"This is Dad's book. It consists of four pieces Dad has written over the past twenty years which reflect on the railway, together with a commentary by a son who came to understand the centrality of that experience to his own life. Dad wrote the first of these pieces two years after I came back from Thailand. It was the first of his writing I'd read beyond half a dozen letters he'd written me when I was wandering the world in my mid-twenties. What struck me about those letters - the first I recall him having written me - was the sparse way he used words. It was like there was something between the words, sort of like the drone that underlies the music of the bagpipes, that I recognised as being intuitively my own ..."

Arch Flanagan, 91, is a retired school teacher. In 1943, as a sergeant in the Australian Army, he was forced to labor on the infamous Burma Railway upon which it is said one man died for every sleeper laid. In the 50 years since, Arch has written four separate pieces, a memoir and an obituary for his commanding officer, Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop.

Martin Flanagan is a poet, writer and journalist and is the fourth of Arch's six children.

Genres: History

Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

Reviews

[Diane in Australia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting approach to the relating of a POW's experiences working on the Burma Railway. The telling of Arch's life is shared by Arch, through his four contributions, and his son's commentary and thoughts on his father's life.

I've read several books by POWs who worked on the Burma Railway. This was not the very best of the lot, but it was still worth reading.

3 Stars = I liked the book.

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this to be a very interesting read. I don't entirely feel like I learned as much about the Railway as I expected/wanted to - but whether that's down to the writing style/s or something else, I'm not quite sure. I'm glad I finally got to finish it this time though, and would still suggest it to anyone who is also interested in war history.

[Lian Tanner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Arch was an Australian soldier in WWII (a teacher in civilian life) who worked on the infamous and brutal Burma Railway (aka The Line) as a POW.
Martin is one of his sons, brother to the more famous Richard Flanagan, but IMO a better writer. Martin's writing is exquisitely honest - very straightforward. He often writes sporting columns with a difference in newspapers, but has also written a beautiful book about Tasmanian history and his own history and how they intersect, called 'In Sunshine and In Shadow'. 'The Line' is a collection of writings by both men rather than a coherent narrative. Arch's sections are about his childhood, then about the war, plus a couple of short stories about the Line. Martin's sections are about his father and his father's friends (who were also POWs), and trying to make sense of it all, as a 'child of the railway'. Immensely moving in parts and well worth a read.

[Delwyn Riordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book after reading "The Narrow Road to the Deep North" by Richard Flanagan, and would highly recommend it as follow up reading to this novel. What I really valued about "The Line" was the simple honesty in the stories Arch tells. I think that Martin, in his searching for deeper understanding of his father's experience, and in his relationships with friends of his father's is able to show a little of the "greatness" which is there in many people and their relationships but is rarely seen. I am left with the impression of an unimaginable experience which highlighted all that was extraordinary in those who lived through it, and those who died in it.

[Ruby · Rating 1 out of 5]

Despite this being pretty close to home, the writing just fell short in the end. Martin always felt like he was over-reaching and Arch was too caught up in the description of things. Under-reaching if anything, but I don't really blame him.

[Rachael-jean · Rating 1 out of 5]

so far, really boring.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m half way through and I’m not going to bother finishing it. Simply put, it wasn’t very interesting, and WW2 / POW stories are usually a favourite of mine. Also, the page after page of solid italic font was visually awful to read.

[Shaun Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of a son figuring out his father through the dad’s war experience was poignant. The parts about Weary were enlightening. I really enjoyed this.

[Jackie]

for school,.