Hellfire and Herring: A Childhood Remembered

by Christopher Rush

Woven into the fabric of family life, village characters, church, and school, Christopher Rush writes of folklore and fishing, fathers and sons, motherly love, and the inescapability of childhood influences far into adult life. Hellfire and Herring is a moving account of the author’s childhood in the 1940s and 1950s in the Scottish fishing village of St. Monans.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Biography

320 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2007

About the author

Christopher Rush is a Scottish writer, for thirty years a teacher of literature in Edinburgh. His books include A Twelvemonth and a Day (1985) (chosen by The List magazine in 2005 as one of the 100 best Scottish books of all time) and the highly acclaimed To Travel Hopefully (2005).

Reviews

[David Santiuste · Rating 5 out of 5]

A marvellous book: exquisitely written, filled with acute observations and an engaging quiet passion. There are some beautiful descriptions of the natural world; the turning of the seasons is the motor that drives the narrative forward. But above all this is a story about human relationships, as the author reflects on his formative experiences, and Christopher Rush provides a moving tribute to the people who helped him on his way.

[Pete Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this book in a charity shop and has turn out to be the best book i,ve read.Christopher Rush the author and whose life the book is about tells you from a young age how had it was living in the 50.s in a fishing village in scotland with a violent father.Its an honest and heartwarming read

[Jack Abernethy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading this book while dog sitting in the East Neuk of Fife—thought it was a fitting time to revisit it. Really evocative and beautifully written, though extremely somber from basically start to end. Highly recommend to anyone who has spent anytime on the east coast of Scotland.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like memoirs, then you'll want to read this wonderful evocation of growing up in a small Scottish fishing village on the Firth coast just after WWII. A slice of time, lyrically written without being sentimental.

[Kirsten · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christopher Rush erzählt von seiner Kindheit und Jugend an der schottischen Ostküste in den 40er und 50er Jahren.

Ich weiß nicht mehr, wie ich auf dieses Buch gekommen bin. Auf jeden Fall hatte ich im Kopf, dass die Biografie etwas Besonderes sein sollte: witzig, bewegend und vor allen Dingen fesselnd. Dementsprechend hoch waren meine Erwartungen. Aber so hohe Erwartungen können nur enttäuscht werden.

Der Anfang war vielversprechend. Christopher Rush malte das Bild vom Leben in St. Monans während des Kriegs in leuchtenden Farben. Ich konnte mir richtig vorstellen, wie das Leben dort war. Für die Kinder war es ein einziges Abenteuer, weil sie noch nichts vom Krieg wussten. Für die Erwachsenen war es anders: sie sorgten sich um ihre Liebsten an der Front.

Auch Christophers Vater war im Krieg, aber anders als die meisten wurde er nicht vermisst. Nicht vom Sohn, der ihn kaum kannte. Aber auch nicht von der Mutter, die früh gemerkt hatte dass die Heirat mit dem "Fremden" (immerhin kam der Vater nicht aus dem kleinen Dorf) ein Fehler war. Als er endlich nach Hause kam, war es zu spät für ein harmonisches Familienleben.

Was folgte, habe ich oft gelesen. Der Krieg hat den Mann traumatisiert, er beginnt zu trinken und schlägt Frau und Sohn regelmäßig. Christopher geht in die Schule, wo die verschiedenen Lehrerinnen ihm wenig Wissen, aber dafür viel Gottesfurcht beibringen. Die Zeiten ändern sich, der Hering, die wichtigste Einnahmequelle zieht sich aus den Gewässern zurück und die Menschen verlassen ihre Häuser, um in neuen und billigeren Gemeindehäusern zu wohnen...

Dass ich diese Dinge schon oft gelesen habe, macht sie nicht langweilig. Aber die Art, wie sie erzählt worden sind hat es mir immer schwerer gemacht, weiter zu lesen. Nach zwei Dritteln habe ich das Buch abgebrochen.

[Alan Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poetically bleak. It has taken me a while to pick up this book and I now understand why. There is a melancholy throughout and the cold smothering presence of old Scottish Presbyterianism which is more bleak than hellfire. We lost a sense of local identity post-war and in measure I thank my lucky stars I was given the possibilities of the wider world in its place.

Beautifully written and observed but my reading preferences are away from Scotland and it’s past.

[Rhiannon Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rich, poetic, tragic, life-affirming... The prose rises in sudden waves and the emotions come and go like a tide rather than building to a conclusion, which all suits the topic well.

[Commander Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that took me back to childhood at Johnshaven. Gave it to Mum and she had a similar raction with dreams and rememberances of events not thought about for decades. Did that painting of Douglas and I in boat having breakfast.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the style of Marcel Proust, this author seems to remember everything, from an early age, about the Scottish countryside about the Fife area, and the fishing, as he comes from a fishing family. Most of the fishing occupations are gone now, along with the herring, so this book is quite interesting from a historical viewpoint.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brilliant and evocative memoir of growing up in an East Coast Scottish viillage. Wonderful descriptive prose. An elegant and thought povoking read about a lost world.