It is wartime. London is suffering from the Blitz and some of her children are sent overseas to avoid the bombs and the expected invasion. One such evacuee, Francis, from London’s East End, arrives in Great Village, Nova Scotia. He is streetwise, belligerent and engaging. He and his sponsor, a recluse, and her childhood admirer are in for changes they could never have imagined as the war invades the quiet village. The novel is set against a backdrop of fictitious village characters, saintly sinners and sinning saints who include the minister, the doctor, the postmaster and teachers.

Come and live with Francis. Go to school with him, go swimming and fishing, pick strawberries and watch him grow up. Experience Great Village as it was in the thirties and how it changes in the forties under the influence of the war and people from away. Shop at the general store, listen in on the local phone, attend church and Women’s Institute meetings, fight the almost forgotten battle of the Atlantic and celebrate VE Day. See how the villagers play the game of life as the rules change irreversibly.

About the author

Truman Layton was born and grew up in Great Village, Nova Scotia. He worked as a research chemist after he graduated from Mount Allison University and later taught high school and university chemistry. Post-graduate study in London, England, led to a position in the Nova Scotia Department of Education developing the science curriculum. Early retirement allowed him to teach in New Zealand and to hike Scottish mountains. He lives in Halifax with his wife, Vivian, and enjoys his three children and nine grandchildren. Writing projects have included units for a junior high textbook series, correspondence study units, short stories and two novels.