The Go-Between, by L.P. Hartley

Evocative of another time, The Go-Between explores the mores of the late Victorian Age at an English country manor, as seen through the eyes of a visitor about to turn 13 years old, or rather it is told by an old man who, upon finding his old diary, remembers what it was like to be turning 13 in the summer of 1900, not quite fitting into the adult world, ignorant of so much, yet keenly observant. Looking back from a distance of 50 years, separated by two World Wars and the breakdown of the class system, he can see that “The past is a foreign country: They do things differently there.” It’s a graceful, beautifully written novel, reminiscent of Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle. Highly recommended.