Approved Entrant in 2027 Ockham Book Awards
Our Fathers Would Never Talk About It
Reader Reviews
"Loved reading the book. Bought it from Author's website. Couldn't put it down. It brought back memories of the past - how we dealt with issues and the consequences of bottling it up. Every chapter is worth devouring. I was drawn into the characters. A great mix of historical events, and a family saga with twists and turns - all turned into a coherent story."
Secrets, fears, treachery, infidelity, regrets, death, and love as told through three generations of an Auckland family of mothers, fathers, sons and wives - painted upon the wide canvas of cataclysmic world events.
Frankie, born in 1917, grows up in a family that falls on difficult times during the Depression. Tied down by a harsh domineering mother, and with a reclusive father, Frankie’s only way out is to volunteer and become a WW2 bomber pilot. Against his mother’s wishes, Frankie marries before leaving for England, where on active bombing raids over Germany, he sees and experiences the capricious deaths and damage to human flesh and minds, before being shot down and spending four years of isolation and semi-starvation in prisoner of war camps. Disturbing news from home and ongoing flashbacks and nightmares threaten to undermine Frankie's resolve, and it is only the close bond of five Prisoner of War mates that enable Frankie to physically and mentally survive four years of imprisonment.
After the war, his homecoming reveals tragic and unexpected losses and betrayal, with little joy - and instead he feels blame and rejection. The ongoing wartime events leave profound effects on Frankie that he is unable to erase, and which also ripple across his family of orgian and his new family.
He struggles to restart his life and let his own inquisitive son into his altered existence. His fears cause him to erupt at the triggering actions of his growing son, who feels more and more rejected. Then, just when it appears he is about to lose his son,and possibly his wife and new family, he is shocked by revelations that upend his whole world and force him to radically rethink his origins and upbringing, and face his own demons.
Synopsis
"My sister brought the book for me in NZ. But all the family secrets, arguments, and dinner table reveals are just like home here in England. It painted such a perfect picture of pre-war and war service with a wonderfully documented insight into POW life and a beautifully rounded story with a lovely ending. My wife then read it and was suprised by how emotional and real were all the personal relationships of the men and women and their children. It is definitely not just a book for the boys."
"What a great story, sad in places, but also very uplifting. As a woman, I was worried it might have a lot of war descriptions and stories, but the war and fighting is only one of 41 chapters. The rest was an intriguing story about men, mothers, fathers, wives, and sons. There are a lot of women characters in a really enjoyable story with a shock twist in the tail."
"Really enjoyed reading the book - I felt inside the story of all the main characters. Well written and easy to read. Although set in New Zealand it is universal for men from all the nations that travelled a long way from home to serve in WW2. Many young men made the ultimate sacrifice and many more suffered from their injuries both physical and mental. They did not talk about it. Many years of research must have gone into this story."
"Engaged in the book right till the end. The meeting of the two men at the end was so moving yet constrained - as I imagine men dealt with feelings in the 1960s. Two very real and sad scenes that gripped me. Such a well researched and compelling tale. I would have liked even more, but it had to finish somewhere. I hope there are more books to come."
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Order Your Book
"Our Fathers Would Never Talk About It"
423 pages 9" x 6" Paperback
$NZ 30.00 each
To order a book, email Steve at drsteveculpan@gmail.com or phone him on 021529148. You will need to write down or provide your :
- First and last Names
- Your address within NZ including an accurate Postcode
- The number of books you wish to buy
- Whether you wish the Steve to sign the book.
- Whether you wish to gift the book (see below)
Note:
The Paperback can only be delivered within N.Z.
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Please note that we can only accept payment via Bank Transfer. Once we receive payment, packaging and courier delivery takes two to five days.
Gifting a Book If you wish to post the book as a gift to another person at a different address, please provide that person's full Name, Address and the NZ Postcode.
Signing a Book Steve can also write a short message for you or on your behalf, inside the book. (Up to 20 words.) Such a message will be added unless Steve considers it offensive or inappropriate.
Collect a book It is also possible to phone Steve and pick up the book from Steve here in Auckland - if that works for both Steve and yourself.
E-BOOKS. To order e-books, (or paperback books for delivery anywhere else in the world), please click on the button below.
Plus Postage cost within New Zealand
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Steve was a doctor in Sports Medicine and Family Practice. During the latter part of his career, he started to write small ‘islands’ that were to become the larger land mass of this historical fiction that incorporates many true stories of men, women, and familie through the Depression,and World War 2 as well as the changed lives
that they then faced post-war.
Retirement gave him the time for
the organic growth and birth of
this - his first novel.
More Reader Reviews
"I hope you do not mind me emailing you – it is great I can give my thoughts direct to the author of a book I read. I’ve just put your book down at chapter 22, Frankie has at last arrived back in London. What a maelstrom of events in Europe and back at home
I read a lot, and good literature has always been an important and crucial part of my life. You have written such a well-researched and extremely readable tale … it’s hard to put down! Give up your day job and write full time."
"I bought your book for my 70 year old mother who lives independently in a retirement village and is an avid reader of good insightful books. I gave it to her on Saturday and she rang me up on Monday morning. She loved the book and read it cover to cover over the weekend. Has given it to a friend and wants me to email you to tell you how much she loved the family twists and turns and how emotional it was at times – and it is not about gory battles. She did not want to talk about anything else – just finished her call reminding me to email you with her comments."
"Enjoyed reading the book The family interplay and story line was very engaging, and some of the background non-fiction information, was staggering. Over a 100,000 POWs corralled in dreadful conditions in German camps. I have read a number of stories about WW2 but never appreciated the huge number of men coming home to their families and thes stresses on those families before during and after the war. Only negative comment is that it is heavy to read in bed."
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About the Author
“The silence between us wasn’t just a lack of words—it was about events which we were too afraid to voice.”