Patrick Gale's Love Lane: A Homecoming Tale Echoing Brokeback Mountain
In Patrick Gale's 18th novel, Love Lane, readers are transported into a kindly and companionable story of a man returning to 1950s England after a life in Canada. The narrative offers a colourful evocation of the times, rich with period detail and emotional depth.
A Secret Bond in the Canadian Wilderness
The novel opens with the clandestine relationship between widower Harry Cane and his bachelor brother-in-law Paul Slaymaker, both Englishmen who emigrated to Canada around the turn of the last century. They first appear as homesteaders in the unforgiving Saskatchewan wilds, where Gale aficionados might recall Harry from 2015's A Place Called Winter, a novel marked by scandal that forced his departure from Britain.
The "steady tenderness" between Harry and Paul, reminiscent of Annie Proulx's Brokeback Mountain, provides succour as their neighbouring farms weather the bitter economic vicissitudes of the 1920s and 30s. However, their wordlessly powerful bond is forever altered by the arrival of Dimpy, a woman down on her luck, and her hard-hearted son, Davy.
Return to a Changed England
Delivered in a voice that is often expositional, the narrative sprints through the second world war. A series of devastating and brutal events lead Harry to reconnect with Betty, his long-lost daughter from an early marriage. This sets the stage for Harry's somewhat equivocal return home, raising central questions about whether England still feels like home after such a marked hiatus.
After crossing the Atlantic, the novel introduces multiple narrative perspectives, including affable Betty, her doughty husband Terry—a prison governor—and their grown-up daughter Pip with her ascetic husband Mike, both harbouring secrets. These glimpses into lives adjacent to Harry's enrich Gale's presentation of 1950s England, drawing significantly on family history and letters to create a rigorously detailed period colour. Elements like rationing, irascible charladies, clouds of Dubonnet, and Ascot water heaters all feature prominently.
Secondary Characters and Subplots Shine
In Love Lane, the alleyways and sidestreets of the narrative provide most interest and entertainment. Secondary characters and subplots often steal the show, such as the "galére of formidable, big-bosomed aunts" who raise Betty after her parents' tragedies, adding a fabulously catty element. Whistle, Betty's highly strung, free-speaking youngest daughter, and racy Vivvy, who leads sensible ingenue Pip astray, bring fresh air to the story.
However, this liveliness and gossipy tone in peripheral sections can sometimes obscure the novel's centre, causing Harry to fade from focus. When he decisively returns to centre stage near the end, his arc may leave readers unsure of its emotional satisfaction and realisation.
Lightness and Darkness in Prose
Gale's sentences possess an enviable lightness, with comedy that has a Forsterian ease in its profound Englishness. Asides about wedding day wardrobe malfunctions and bourgeois euphemisms for genitalia contribute to the novel's unashamed Call the Midwife chumminess. Descriptions of domestic life, like Mike's nervous hands snapping sherry glass stems or a great-granddaughter's fascination with apple peel, shine with pure brilliance.
Darkness also permeates the novel, particularly in portrayals of the prison Terry governs. The criminalisation of queerness and Terry's oversight of hangings for likely innocent inmates are handled with dignity and nuance, adding depth to the narrative.
The Heart of Love Lane
The title Love Lane specifically refers to the street in Wakefield where Pip and Mike host "Cowboy Grandpa" Harry for eventful weeks, but its significance extends beyond that. What is most palpable is the evident love Gale feels for his semi-fictional characters, creating a refreshing warmth and gentleness in his precisely imagined vision of connected lives. This makes for a kindly, immensely companionable read that resonates with readers seeking emotional depth and historical insight.
Love Lane by Patrick Gale is published by Tinder, offering a compelling exploration of secrets, family, and homecoming in mid-20th century settings.
