Wish you were here by Graham Swift

By Eithne Farry  on Tuesday 31 May 2011

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A tale of a grieving man who is mourning the death of his estranged brother, a soldier in Iraq.

A tale of a grieving man who is mourning the death of his estranged brother, a soldier in Iraq.

Jack Luxton, a former Devon farmer and now a seaside caravan-park owner, receives the news that his younger brother Tom has been killed in Iraq. The siblings have been estranged for years; a difficult family history, an emotionally cold father and a failing farm led to their separation, despite their mutual affection. Battered by grief, Jack travels to meet the coffin and heads back to Devon for the burial. Tragedy and dark secrets are part of the abandoned landscape of Jack's childhood, as well as memories of love - it was here that he met his wife Ellie. Swift's portrait of this staunch, stoical man attempting to reconcile mourning with memory is acutely, poetically honest.

Review by Eithne Farry

Release date: Tuesday 31 May 2011

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