Almost English by Barbara Sibbald
Reviewed by Heather McBriarty
Stephen Turner, son of a prominent English gentleman and educated at the finest schools in England, longed to escape his menial position as a railroad clerk but one manifest obstacle stood in his way: Stephen’s maternal grandmother was native. In 1880s India, that placed him in a no-man’s land, neither fully native, nor fully English, and certainly ineligible for advancement in the Civil Service.
Lily Grant was a proper young lady and incredibly determined. Despite her father’s opposition and the very real threat of being snubbed by society, she chose Stephen as her husband and a life that threatened isolation, poverty and hardship, but one that took them from India to New Zealand and back, from remote, mountainous, northern villages to the shores of the Arabian Sea in what is now Pakistan. Along the way, they raised seven children in a hostile climate that threatened their lives daily, and Stephen never stopped fighting to better his family’s life.
“This is a fascinating and deeply engrossing story, one I finished in less than 24 hours.”
Novel? Non-fiction? Almost English by Barbara Sibbald blurs the line between them. It is both a novelized version of the author’s great-grandparents` life story, and a narrative of Sibbald’s quest to find out about her complicated heritage. I’ll be honest: I was half expecting a book that of course has deep meaning for its author but maybe not for an average reader. Was I surprised! This is a fascinating and deeply engrossing story, one I finished in less than 24 hours.
The racism of Anglo-Indian society is at the forefront of this book, as Sibbold details her great-grandfather’s almost impossible quest to overcome the “taint” of his one-quarter Indian ancestry. Despite his education at “Home” – England – his impeccable accent and many friends in society, losing the support of his English father left Stephen unable to break through the ceiling to obtain a coveted position in the Civil Service. The only jobs available were “native” positions, and for many of those, he was too English. Stephen was nothing if not determined: determined to succeed, to see his children receive the education he did and opportunities he did not, and to improve the lives of the people in his part of India. No less determined was Lily, her faith in her husband never wavering.
About the Author
Barbara Sibbald is an award-winning journalist and editor living in Ottawa, Canada.
About the Reviewer
Heather McBriarty is the author of the non-fiction account of the First World War, Somewhere in Flanders: Letters from the Front and a novel of the “Great War” Amid the Splintered Trees. She is a blogger, reviewer and served as a juror for the 2023 Atlantic Book Awards. She is a retired Medical Radiation Technologist, doting grandmother, and avid sailor. She lives by the sea in historic Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada.
Book Details
Publisher : Bayeux Arts
Publication date : June 15 2025
Language : English
Print length : 386 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1778750168