Told from the point of view of an adolescent boy, Westall's book gives a fresh and interesting account of the bombings of an English town during World War II. Constant exposure to the atrocities of war forces the main characters in The Machine Gunners to grow up too quickly. Chas McGill, the narrator, attempts to survive in a confusing world by exercising some control over his corner of Garmouth. His inability to remain a passive child in the face of terror results in his transition from a naive collector of war souvenirs to a stoic overseer of an underground fortress.
Westall provides vivid and realistic descriptions of the bombings and their aftermath. Chas safely collects pieces of shiny shrapnel in the streets but also comes face-to-face with a dead, disfigured, and decaying German soldier......
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