The Day They Shot Edward

by Wendy Scarfe

Wendy Scarfe’s second novel, The Day They Shot Edward, tells a tale of a family in turmoil, set against the political mess of the Second World War. Told from the perspective of a nine-year-old Matthew, the narration has an air of innocence, making the horrors of what is to come all the more confronting.
About the book:
It is 1916. The Australian community is riven over a referendum to conscript more troops for the killing fields of Europe. Nine-year-old Matthew’s family, divided politically and sinking into poverty, reflects the social conflict. Handsome, generous Edward is at the centre of the family friction. Gran hates the war as Edward does, Mother flirts with him to escape the misery of her marriage, and young Matthew adores him.
As patriotic frenzy takes hold, police informers spy on Edward and track his anti-conscription activities. Sabotage and anarchism are meaningless words to Matthew. Absorbed in childhood fantasies, he is unaware that he too is helping draw the net around Edward. It is left to Matthew’s German headmaster to teach him that, like music, people grow with love.

124 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2018

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Day They Shot Edward is a perfect little novella, set in 1916 when the First Conscription Referendum was tearing Australia apart. It is told from the perspective of a little boy called Matthew whose naïve observations portray family life at a difficult time in history.

A small cast of characters convey the conflict. Matthew’s teacher at school bullies her class into contributing to the war effort. Matthew, who has a horror of killing things – even the yabbies that he catches in the pond – runs away when, for once, he has a farthing given to him by his mother’s ‘friend’ Edward but is honour bound not to contribute:

Matthew had no money. By turns he begged his mother, Gran and Edward for a penny but they all refused. His mother said that there were no extra pennies in a house without a breadwinner. Gran said that she was Irish and saw no reason why she should contribute to the ego of any woman loyal to the Empire. Edward said that he would give him a penny but not to contribute to the war because it was a capitalist war in which poor people suffered for the rich.
When he asked Edward who the poor people were, Edward surprised him by saying: ‘Families like yours and mine. We’re the poor. We’re the little people. We creep around on the ground or pull the chariots while the rich people ride’. (p.20-21)

Matthew doesn’t understand that he is poor, because apart from the daily boredom of school, his life is rich with activity and he revels in the love of his grandmother and the affection of Edward. And while the boy has an instinctive distrust of a man in a brown suit who is always hanging around and asking questions, he certainly doesn’t understand that Edward is under surveillance for his political activities.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2018/02/18/t...

[Tom Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I find early 20th century history fascinating, particularly the focus on working class people and left wing politics. Bonus points because one of the protagonists is an anarchist and also that he was portrayed sympathetically. Some sections were a bit slow, but overall pretty good.