Griffin and the River Folk

Griffin is a Welsh boy, going to an English all boys school in Gloucestershire, England. The novel is set in the early 1950’s, at the time when Princess Elizabeth ascended to the British throne to become Queen Elizabeth the Second.Griffin’s stepfather, his ‘Dad’ whom he hero worships, is a retired naval officer now working for the War Department Police Force, and the family lives on an army base. Severely bullied at school, Griffin finds solace and friendship with the son of a gentleman farmer, and spends most of his free time helping out at the farm. The Fletcher’s farm traditionally, in what would now be called ‘organic farming’.Griffin shares his love for a family of otters with the Fletchers, and is sworn to secrecy by them in order to protect them from the otter hunt. (Now banned in the UK). However, he is forced by his parents to disclose why he comes home so often late and he tells his parents, pleading with them to keep it a secret. His mother boasts of her son’s love of wildlife in a local pub and lets loose the otters’ secret, which is overheard by members of the hunt. The otters are soon attacked and killed and Griffin is terribly hurt, not able to trust his parents anymore.He almost loses the trust of his best friend, Arthur Fletcher.Griffin hates school, but loves the Sea Cadets, which he joined because he wanted to emulate his stepfather and join the navy. The Sea Cadets, plus working on the farm, toughens him up and in the end, Griffin gets his revenge, both on the bullies at school and on the leader of the otter hunt, who is also an infamous poacher.The novel was written originally for young readers, but it is also an account of a style of rural life that has largely vanished in Britain. It is classically illustrated in black and white line drawings. ‘Griffin’ was published in Japanese by Shinchosha Publishing Company, and still sells in Japan.