Greasing the Wingnut

by Dimity Knight

It's 1969. Fifteen-year-old Billy Chapman is striving to become the kind of person his father would be proud of. There's just one hitch. His father died five years ago, leaving Billy and his family stranded in Port Augusta eight weeks after emigrating from England. Now his sister is married, and his older brother is fighting in the Vietnam War, leaving Billy to support his mum and little sister. An apprenticeship at the Railways provides a pathway to success, until he discovers that the older boys who bullied him at school are now second year apprentices. Torn between loyalties, and the desire to prove his worth, Billy finds both his job, and his life, on the line.

324 pages, Paperback

Published October 24, 2019

Reviews

[Claire Belberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Chapman has to be the man of the family, since his dad died only eight weeks after the family moved from England to Port Augusta in the South Australian outback, and his older brother is no help at all. Trying to scrape together money to keep the family afloat when you're supposed to be at school is bad enough, but coping with the bullies makes it worse.

Greasing the Wingnut is a meticulously researched historical fiction of the coming of age of a new migrant with the odds stacked against him. It's funny, dramatic, nail-biting and heart-warming. Seeing Billy rise to overcome the many challenges is wonderful, demonstrating that elusive concept of resilience in a thoroughly enjoyable and convincing read.