In his follow-up to the 2020’s Ghost Town, Jeff Young crafted a memoir that is not just a travelogue but a profound reflection on the inextricable ties to one’s roots. Through his expressive writing, Young recounts his youthful adventures across Europe, painting vivid pictures of myth, enchantment, and bleakness, invariably tethered to his Liverpool roots. His father, Cyril’s deterioration and eventual demise, leave a deeply poignant imprint on the narrative.
A printer by profession, Cyril worked night shifts, his hands stained with ink. A memorable anecdote from the book is when the father ventures home to find his son contemplating a seismic career shift, choosing a journey across Europe over an office job. The memoir offers a remarkable representation of working-class bohemianism, a popular ethos from the sixties, that survived punk and endured well into the 1980s. Cyril, also a collector, often brought home odd objects, usually sold from door to door, and later in a second-hand store.
The author humorously recalls his mother’s reservations about his father’s quirks. His grandmother had once advised his mother against marrying Cyril due to his penchant for hoarding, an observation solidified when Cyril returned from an auction with a leather suitcase spilling over with buttons, which brought his mother to tears as she conceded her mother-in-law’s forewarning.
Young’s narratives reveal a less glamorous side of cities like Paris, Berlin, and especially Amsterdam. His tales speak of homelessness, illness, menial work, theft, and rodent-infested dwellings. The idyllic hippy utopia he read about was, in reality, fading. In Amsterdam, Young’s encounter with Beat poet Gregory Corso leaves an indelible impression, with a gracelessly autographed souvenir to attest its authenticity. His portrayal of his friends are sketches filled with affection, yet brutally candid. His recollections are nostalgic but not afraid to expose the harsher truths.
In summary, Young’s memoir serves as a testament to life’s gritty realities, a homage to his father, and an exploration of the captivatingly drab underside of cities. It also shines a light on the inextricability of one’s home ties, no matter how far one roams.
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Young is a custodianship of Beat Generation’s raw and passionate poetry, unique in crafting vivid imagery: “we chiselled fragments of ice from the confluence of river and sea, tossing them atop the rippling surface, blackened triangles somersaulting in the gloom”. A steadfast curator of mementos, visuals, and artefacts, demonstrating a tangible link of son mirroring father.
Karl Whitney dons the hat of an author and reviewer.