Title: Love On The Dole
Author: Walter Greenwood
What I think so far: Love On The Dole is an excellent read, both as a piece of literature and as a historical document. Greenwood follows the lives of two siblings, Harry and Sal Hardcastle, from adolescence to adulthood with a telling and often depressing authenticity. Having studied Britain during the Great Depression for my History course, and – I’ll admit it – encouraged by the fact that it was the title of a Libertines song, I was amazed by the vivid picture Greenwood paints of Salford in the 30s. This picture is clearly influenced by personal experience – Greenwood himself spent many years unemployed – only adding to the sadness I felt as the cyclical nature of poverty was laid out before me. While Greenwood resolutely does not romanticise poverty, this is not to say he does not have a beautiful prose style, especially noticeable in the passages describing a riot against the Means Test.
Would I recommend? Certainly. Though it’s often shadowed by its Orwellian counterpart The Road To Wigan Pier, Love On The Dole provides a piercingly authentic account of poverty in the 1930s, from someone who experienced it directly – this is interesting in and of itself, but also feels particularly relevant in this era of harsh austerity measures.
Rating: 9/10
Words by Priya Bryant