It's May 1918. The Great War is finally coming to a conclusion. The German Spring Offensive appears to be winning the war before the recent arrival into Europe of American troops can have any military effect.
But the German Home Front is struggling. The Allied blockade of foodstuffs; a poor government and a potato blight have left the German people hungry and angry. In comparison, the introduction of rationing proves a great boon to morale in Britain. And just in time too. Because the American troops have brought with them something far more deadly than their own firepower. A deadly mutated flu virus.
In the East End of London, Mr & Mrs Nash have not bought into the war. He's a tough ex-villain who hides conscientious objectors from the authorities. But the government's net appears to be drawing in on him. She helps Sylvia Pankhurst run a nursery, restaurant cum soup kitchen and a toy factory, as well as badger officialdom to give more help to people. And as an ex-Suffragette she knows how to both use and circumvent the law when it suits her.
In the East End of Berlin, a nurse, a farmer, a black marketer, a soldier home on leave and a rich woman with a chauffeuse are all woven together as the Germany Home Front starts to collapse into starvation, retribution and rioting. Germany can't fight the British, the flu and themselves.
It's a fast paced page-turner, full of action and personal relationships, as the two stories and the people of two countries come together to solve a huge problem the war and the flu has created.
I'm delighted to be closing the blog tour for A Plague On Both Your Houses today. Many thanks to Ian Porter, Troubador and Emma Welton from damppebbles blog tours for inviting me and for my digital copy of the novel.
I am always drawn to historical fiction set around the two world wars, especially if it's a book which examines more unfamiliar aspects of the period, and with the current global situation, I couldn't resist A Plague On Both Your Houses which features the Spanish Flu pandemic as a major part of the storyline.
Although most people know about the dreadful conditions endured by the men in the trenches on the military front in World War One, the severe difficulties faced on the Home Fronts is perhaps less known. In A Plague On Both Your Houses, Ian Porter has uses his evidently thorough research to write a fascinating and often damning account of the challenges facing the population in the UK and Germany - particularly the poor, who were obviously the most adversely affected. In 1918, the war is nearing its end, although in the earlier part of the year it seemed as if Germany will be the victor following its successful Spring Offensive. In London. Ruby helps Sylvia Pankhurst support the East End while her husband, Nashy - an ex-villain who became Sylvia's minder during the Suffragette's campaign for votes for women - is still at odds with the authorities, helping to find safe houses for conscientious objectors. The chapters set in England focus mainly on this engaging pair and it's through their practical, rather cynical eyes that we see the awful suffering on the streets. What particularly struck me here is that even though the war took place in the 20th century, what we think of as the poverty-stricken slums of the Victorian era were still very much in existence for large parts of the city, with disasters such as a huge explosion in a munitions factory further increasing the already overcrowded population there. Ian Porter's vivid descriptions of the area really bring it to life and it's not hard to imagine the filthy and dangerous conditions - this was, of course, where Jack the Ripper's murdered at least five prostitutes just thirty years previously.
Meanwhile, conditions are even worse in Germany as the Allied blockade has meant the people there are starving. The chapters here follow a number of characters who gradually become connected to one another through their various actions. Perhaps one of the most important themes in the book is the examination of the role of women in both countries - Ruby is a former Suffragette who makes a decision during the course of the novel to take on a controversial new job - and in Germany, Dorothea, a former nurse, Frau Ute, a rich widow and her chauffeuse, Aldo are eventually drawn together due to the atrocious social conditions in the country. The sheer extent of the deprivation and suffering is distressing to read about here and is an important reminder of the conditions which ultimately meant the population was angered by the failings of their monarchy and eventually ready to accept a new, populist leader.
Throughout the book, the influenza outbreak hangs heavily over both nations and it's rather poignant to read about the response of the authorities and the media, who colluded to hide the real truth from the public. I also found it fascinating to compare the similarities and differences to how the world then and now reacted to a global pandemic. Social distancing and better hygiene were as vital in the past as they are today at least the present day police don't have to monitor how long people spend on phone calls! This is a necessarily grim read at times but there are humorous moments too, especially through the relationship between Ruby and Nashy and the exploits of a black marketeer in Berlin who manages to get his hands on a particularly large carcass. Perhaps most importantly, A Plague On Both Your Houses is a reminder of the fortitude, invention and compassion of people during even the most difficult, tragic times. Despite their own problems, the characters here represent those who stood up for their convictions and risked prison - or worse - to help those at the very bottom of society.
A Plague On Both Your Houses is richly detailed and immersive historical fiction - I highly recommend it.
A Plague On Both Your Houses is purchased by Matador and can be purchased from Amazon UK, Amazon US, Waterstones or support an independent publisher by buying directly from their website.
Don't forget to check out the previous stops on the blog tour.
About the Author
Before he turned his quill to penning novels, Ian was a professional non-fiction writer. He wrote most of the original edition of the guide book Where to Ski & Snowboard. He contributed to non-fiction work on such diverse subjects as the Suffragettes, the Titanic, Jack the Ripper and Charming Small Hotels! He now lectures and guides walks, primarily in women's 19th and early 20th century history. Which brings us to his novels. His first, Whitechapel, is set in the East End slums of 1888 at the time of the Whitechapel Murders. His second, the highly acclaimed Suffragette Autumn Women's Spring, is set within the Votes for Woman campaign between 1912-14. This, his third novel, A Plague on Both Your Houses, is set in 1918-19 in the final months of the Great War and the following months, during the flu pandemic, in both the East End of London and the East End of Berlin. His next novel (title to be decided) is again set in the Victorian East End and will be published later this year.
Ian has a degree in history from the University of Birmingham, where he was awarded the Chancellor's Prize for outstanding achievement. He is married, lives in Kent and when he's not doing research or writing, likes to play and watch lots of sport.
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