Anthem

"In the spring of 1982, Anglefield Road is a peaceful road in a suburban town north of London; it is a cul de sac with four houses looking out on each other. In the four houses live four families: the Armstrongs, the Plimsolls, the Millens, and the Roaches. They know each other well, celebrate Christmases and christenings, share gardening tips and gossip, hide their private griefs, display their public triumphs." "The Armstrongs, childless, strangely welcoming, are the oldest residents. Next door live the Plimsolls: beautiful, restless Suzy who works with her older husband Matty on the cruise ship Canberra, the only place where she feels wholly alive. Opposite stands the home of the Roaches: Richard, a downtrodden shoe salesman chasing sales targets while his indifferent wife Ellen stares our of the window and their son, Mark, awaits the outcome of his trial. One house down live Freddie and Patsy Millen, Freddie out of work, the house for sale, their Anglefield Road dreams dashed." "And then Argentina invades an obscure British colony off the South American coast, the Falklands - provoking a national crisis and a patriotic revival. The once resplendent Canberra is requisitioned to ferry the troops who will retake the islands and put the Great back into Britain. The repercussions for the residents of Anglefield Road will reach far beyond the events of that momentous summer."--BOOK JACKET.