The Up Side of Hunger: a work crammed with historical detail.  Vivid and colourful, I read it at light speed. I simply could not help myself.

The tale opens in Eastern Hungary, 1941, with an introduction to Adam Baumann: a twelve-year-old runaway.  Adam is Hungarian born but of German descent. He is the son of a dirt poor tenant farmer but that is not what he wants to become. This is why he’s on the run. 

Adam has aspirations and determination. But he also has a love of family. Thus, when found and taken home he feels relief. He wasn’t missing the farm, but he was missing family. 

The tale ends in the present, in Canada where Adam has become a citizen. He is married to Jean, a lovely lady of Canadian birth. They have children, all doing well, thus Adam’s love of family is carried from one generation to the next. Adam is retired and wealthy having proved himself a successful business man.

The journey from the rags of Hungary to the riches of Canada is packed with high adventure. I will not enter into detail. However, to give the reader a taste of the treats within: 1944 through to 1945 sees Adam playing for the wrong team on the Eastern front. There are appalling losses, and Adam is grievously wounded. As for the aftermath when the French and Russians start to extract revenge – the fact that Adam survives is little short of miraculous... The action that follows in further adventures is of equal calibre. 

I will also say that the book makes easy reading. In part this is due to the absorbing content, but there’s also the style. The author employs plain English. One could say it is text book stuff which, in a work of less eventful content, might be criticised as prosaic. But with Adam’s forceful presence and action followed by action, the plain language allows easy generation of imagery and tension.

In summation I can thoroughly recommend The Upside of Hunger to all who enjoy adventure and East European pre-war and wartime history.