Charlie's Promise

'Poignant, graceful, and relevant for today'

Alex Nye

“Poignant, graceful, and relevant for today”

— Alex Nye

“It's 1938 at Morison's Haven, a small harbour on the outskirts of Edinburgh. War is on the horizon, but for young Charlie it seems remote and unlikely; until the first ripple from the conflict breaks on the shore of the Firth of Forth in the arrival of Jozef, a starving German boy, lost and alone, whom Charlie finds hiding in the woods when his schoolfriend Jean ropes him into searching for a stray dog.

The terror that Jozef feels, marooned in a new and frightening place, is almost visceral, and made all the more immediate by being told without words. Charlie's empathy bridges the gap between the boys, and Jean provides a headstrong sense of adventure to keep them moving - even if she doesn't always get things quite right!

It's a timely reminder of the need for humanity in our approach to people who have lost their homes, their families, their countries, and come looking for sanctuary.

Charlie's Promise cleverly weaves a story about a single boy into the overall historical narrative, putting a tired and scared human face on the vast forces of history that are raging just over the horizon in the aftermath of Kristallnacht. Highly recommended.”

— John Fulton