She led Brat out of the room, laughing at him, and still hand in hand with him. ‘Come on, Brat!’ she said, putting out her hand and pulling him to his feet… I love how she handles this.īee drank the remains of her coffee. Tey’s insight and shrewd understanding of the human personality oozes out of her writing and in this case she explores what it means to belong. But how was this going to work out? Tey wouldn’t let an impostor get away with his crime, would she?Īpparently Tey was an accomplished gymnast and I think her physical agility was mirrored in her mental ability (see this article for an example). Tey reveals more of Farrar’s personality as he moves into the Ashby family home, and before long the reader begins to feel an empathy with the young man. This danger to his immortal soul…But he had never believed in his immortal soul. Danger to life and limb he was used to but far more exciting was this new mental danger, this pitting of wits. But at least it would be a breath-taking ride a unique, heart-stopping ride. All he could do was sit in the saddle and hope for the best. That insistent voice that had talked to him in the dark of his room had fought for its head and got it. Well, there was no going back now, whether he wanted to or not. We are privy to his chance meeting with Alec Loding, a young actor who knew the family intimately and who had been astounded by Farrar’s uncanny resemblance to Simon we learn about Farrar’s life up until this point, the scheme Loding presents to him, the objections he raises and what causes him to finally acquiesce. The reader knows from the start that Farrar is an impostor. Tey uses an intriguing approach with this story and it was not at all what I was expecting. A stranger (introduced to the reader earlier as Brat Farrar) arrives claiming to be Patrick, the firstborn of the twins, and therefore the legal heir. The story begins as Simon, now twenty-one years of age, is preparing for his ‘coming of age,‘ the time when he will inherit the family fortune. All the evidence points to suicide by drowning. Twin boys, Patrick and Simon, their sister Eleanor, and the younger twins, Jane and Ruth, are placed under the guardianship of their Aunt Bee after the tragedy, but about a year later, thirteen year old Patrick disappears. The five Ashby children are orphaned when their parents are killed in a plane crash eight years before the story commences.

Brat farrar review